This just in, Fox continues to crow about the ratings for the World Series and its very good ratings. Last night, the average audience for Game 4 was almost 23 million viewers and those are American Idol numbers at its peak. Tremendous ratings for the World Series and of course, Philadelphia and New York helped to lead the way for the country. Take a look.
2009 WORLD SERIES REMAINS DOMINANT FORCE IN PRIME TIME
Yankees/Phillies Game 4 Up +45 in Rating & +47% in Audience
Fall Classic Overall Rating Up +42% & +45% in Audience
2009 WORLD SERIES GAME 4 HIGHLIGHTS
Game 4 of the 2009 WORLD SERIES soared to a 13.5/22 average household rating/share with an average audience of 22.8 million viewers last night on FOX according to fast national ratings issued by Nielsen Media Research. Game 4 is the highest-rated and most-watched World Series game since Game 4 of the 2004 Series (18.2/28, 28.8 million) when the Red Sox snapped their 86-year championship drought. It’s also the most-watched, non-decisive Game 4 in eight years, dating back to the 2001 Series (23.7 million., Diamondbacks-Yankees) and the highest-rated non-decisive Game 4 in six years (13.6/23, Yankees-Marlins-12-inning game). Compared to last year’s World Series, Game 4 of Yankees-Phillies is up +45% in rating and +47% in audience compared to Game 4 of Rays-Phillies (9.3/15, 15.5 million), and ranks as the highest-rated and most-watched prime-time show of the Monday-Sunday broadcast week (10/26-11/1).
Game 4 and its pregame program (10.7/17) combined with an NFL overrun and THE OT (fast nationals for both will be released later today) to make last night FOX’s most-watched night since the AMERICAN IDOL finale in May.
PHILADELPHIA topped all markets for Game 4 with a 42.0/58, +8% over its Game 4 rating a year ago (39.0/54). NEW YORK fired a 31.2/45, a Series-high and a better rating than any of the six games of the Yankees last World Series appearance in 2003.
2009 WORLD SERIES TO DATE
This year’s World Series has been a dominant force in prime time. The first four games of the 2009 Fall Classic have averaged an 11.5/19, 19.1 million viewers and a 6.1 among A18-49. The Series is up +42% in household rating and +45% in audience over last year (8.1/14, 13.2 million) and is the highest-rated, most watched World Series since 2004. If we compare the first four games of the World Series to top-rated season-to-date prime-time shows, the World Series would rank No. 2 in households, and No. 4 among Adults 18-49.
Post-season baseball has powered FOX to its best fourth quarter performance in history. Season-to-date, FOX is averaging a 3.7/10 in prime time among Adults 18-49 (preliminary pending final NFL numbers), +16% better than second-place CBS (3.2/9), FOX’s biggest season-to-date lead ever in fourth quarter and the biggest for any network in six years. The week of October 26th, which included four World Series games, averaged a 4.9/13 among Adults 18-49, an +81% win over second-place ABC (2.7/7) and the highest-rated fourth quarter week on any network in five years, dating back to the week of the 2004 World Series on FOX.
I don’t see media critics whining how no one watches baseball anymore. This postseason has done quite well for both TBS and Fox.
And this is the press release from the MLB offices which is quite similar, but uses overall viewership numbers instead of average viewership.
Game Four Watched by 22.8 Million Viewers
Best for Any World Series Game Since ’04 Clincher
MLB Drives FOX to its Best Night Since “American Idol” Finale in May
Game Four of the 2009 World Series on FOX last night, which was won by Yankees 7-4 to take a 3-1 series lead, was seen by 22.8 million viewers, a +47% increase over last year’s Game Four and the most-watched World Series game since the series-clinching Game Four of the 2004 World Series (28.8 million viewers), and the most-viewed non-clinching Game 4 since 2001, based on fast national data from Nielsen Media Research.
Through four games, the 2009 World Series is averaging 19.1 million viewers, also a +47% increase over the first four games of the 2008 World Series and the highest four-game World Series average since 2004.
Based on preliminary primetime averages, last night’s game propelled FOX to its best primetime performance on a Sunday in nearly two years (Super Bowl XLII in February 2008), and its best primetime performance on any night since the “American Idol” finale on May 20.
New Yorkers are eagerly tuning in, with Game Four posting a 31.2 local rating, exceeding that for all six games of the 2003 World Series as well as every game of the 2001 World Series aside from Game Seven. In Philadelphia, Game Four averaged a 42.0 local rating, +8% better than the 39.0 recorded for Game 4 of last year’s Fall Classic.
No matter what numbers you use, the 2009 World Series is a hit.
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