Katie Nolan’s new show Garbage Time was one of the most eagerly anticipated debuts for a new sports show this year.
The Garbage Time debut on Sunday night was met with mixed reviews from critics, but what about the ratings? Nolan and Fox have both indicated that the show’s success won’t be drawn solely from television viewership because it’s aimed just as much at digital audiences and creating buzz. However, that doesn’t mean ratings aren’t important. It’s still the television business after all. And in that department, Garbage Time is off to a decent start.
Katie Nolan's "Garbage Time" debut averaged a respectable 99,000 viewers Sunday night on FS1.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) March 17, 2015
While almost 100k doesn’t seem like a lot, especially for Sunday evening, consider the history of Fox Sports 1 studio shows. When Nolan’s previous outfit Crowd Goes Wild was canceled, it was averaging a third of that at just over 30,000 viewers. America’s Pregame, Mike Francesa, and Fox Sports Live: Countdown averaged even less than that last week according to our own Douglas Pucci. Furthermore, it was able to keep over half the lead-in audience from the MLS match that aired prior.
The success of Garbage Time won’t be decided in the first week, but if the program can maintain or grow these ratings (and FS1 remains patient and doesn’t get a quick trigger finger) then perhaps the show can have a lasting presence on network airwaves.
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