As the National League Championship Series appears to be heading Colorado’s way, this is the worst case scenario for TBS. In its first year covering the MLB Postseason, the network has brought a low-key approach for airing the League Division and Championship Series. While writers and fans across the country have killed TBS for the most part, I’m not one of them. I liked having all four of the LDS on one channel instead of dividing games between ESPN and Fox as had been the case the previous five years. In addition, TBS has done its best to give earlier starting times for primetime games, instead of 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET starts on ESPN, we saw 5 or 6 p.m. starts for the Yankees and Red Sox with 9:30 p.m. or 10 p.m starts for Arizona or Colorado.
What TBS could control, announcers, camera work, game times, pregame shows and online programming went well. What it couldn’t control, outcomes of games did not.
For the League Division Series, TBS could show a minimum of 12 games and a maximum of 20. The problem was that 3 series, both in the National League and the Red Sox-Angels ended in sweeps plus the Yankees-Indians went four games, giving the network just one game over the minimum. But overall, the ratings for the LDS on TBS were high giving MLB several reasons to feel good over its decision to bring Turner Sports into the fold.
But with the Phillies and Cubs eliminated, TBS could not depend on ratings from big markets in the next round. While Game 1 of the NLCS between Arizona and Colorado did give TBS high ratings for the channel on Thursday, it was not up to par with past results. Granted, the games have migrated from over the air TV to cable so there is a difference in viewership. However, the sex appeal for the NLCS without either the Phillies or Cubs, two signature teams of MLB, just wasn’t there. And Arizona and Colorado don’t have the fabled history that the Phillies and Cubs do.
Also, you have the Rockies steamrolling through the NLCS which again if it ends in a sweep, TBS will have broadcast the absolute minimum of games for this series. Overall, out of a potential 27 postseason games, TBS will have aired 17 if the Rockies sweep on Monday.
On the other hand, Fox knows it will have at least five games of the American League Championship Series with the Red Sox and Cleveland tied at one game apiece and it has a big market team in Boston to help its ratings.
It will be interesting to hear the spin from Turner. The production quality has been good, but I’m sure TBS is hoping that this year is an aberration instead of the norm during its contract with MLB.
