All-Star Game Ratings Are Down, But It Did Win Primetime

Fox is acknowledging that the ratings for the MLB All-Star Game are way down from the previous year, however, saying it won the primetime ratings over the other over the air networks. Sports Media Watch which keeps track of the ratings notes that this year’s All-Star Game rated below the Pro Bowl. That’s a first. Anyway, here’s Fox’s press release spinning the ratings.

THE TRADITION CONTINUES…

Once Again, MLB All- Star Game Dominates Prime Time; Powers FOX to Easy Win

Remains Top-Rated All-Star Event in Sports

Anaheim — The 81^st MLB ALL-STAR GAME ON FOX last night reaffirmed its status as the premier television event of the summer and the No. 1 all-star event in sports. The star-studded affair that ended with the National League’s first victory since 1996 earned a 7.5/13 with a total audience of 29.5 million viewers, according to fast national figures released today by Nielsen Media Research.

Despite a slight decline in the year-to-year household rating, last night’s pregame and game combined for a 7.2/13 rating/share and averaged 11.7 million viewers from 8:00 – 11:00 PM, giving FOX an easy primetime win. NBC was a distant second at a 5.3/9 rating/share. The 2010 ALL-STAR GAME ON FOX ranks as the network’s best night since the American Idol finale and is the best night on any network since last month’s NBA Finals Game 7. Among the younger male demographics, FOX outrated the combined numbers of ABC, CBS, and NBC for the night. (M18-34: 4.3 vs. 3.1) (M18-49: 4.8 vs. 4.5)

Last night’s prime time average nearly doubles the summer-to-date average of the four major broadcasters (3.7/7) and the All-Star Game rating once again topped those for this year’s Pro Bowl (7.1/11 on ESPN) and NBA All-Star Game (3.6/6 on TNT), reinforcing the All-Star Game as the biggest annual event of the summer and top-rated all-star event in sports.

Baseball hotbed St. Louis topped all markets for the fourth consecutive year with a stellar 20.5/32. Major markets with significant growth include division leaders Cincinnati (+83%, 14.3 vs. 7.8) and Dallas/Ft. Worth (+65%, 9.1 vs. 5.5) while starting pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and David Price drove fans to the TV set for gains in Denver (+24%, 11.4 vs. 9.2) and Tampa (+11%, 12.4 vs. 11.2).

Host city Los Angeles posted an 8.6/17, a certain factor in the ratings decline. The previous five All-Star host markets have averaged a 22.8 rating and LA’s rating last night barely delivered more homes than St. Louis contributed when they hosted the game last year (487,000 vs. 462,000) despite being four times larger in market size.

More releases are on the way.