There was a reason why MLB gave the exclusive English language rights to the World Baseball Classic to MLB Network. It knew it would bring eyeballs to the channel in what normally is a dormant month. With the USA and Canada playing in an elimination game on Sunday to see who would advance to the 2nd round, MLB Network saw its best viewership for a non-postseason matchup.
According to MLB Network, it averaged 760,000 viewers for the game which saw the United States winning 9-4 to get to the next round in Miami. During the last few innings, USA-Canada was peaked at an average of 1.25 million viewers. In addition, thanks to the World Baseball Classic, this past weekend was the most viewed ever on MLBN averaging 252,000 thousand people tuning in.
Team USA’s games during the weekend also did well. Its game against Mexico averaged 673,000 viewers on Friday while Saturday’s contest vs. Italy garnered 576,000.
Here’s the MLB Network press release.
USA VS. CANADA WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC ELIMINATION GAME IS MOST-WATCHED NON-POSTSEASON GAME TELECAST IN MLB NETWORK HISTORY
World Baseball Classic Games Deliver MLB Network’s Most-Viewed Weekend Ever
Team USA’s win over Canada on Sunday in the Pool D elimination game of the 2013 World Baseball Classic was the most-watched non-Postseason game ever on MLB Network, averaging 760,000 viewers, up 26% from the previous high, a New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox game on October 2, 2012. The USA vs. Canada game peaked with 1.25 million viewers during the final innings, from 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. ET, which included the USA’s four-run rally in the ninth inning.
The strength of 15 World Baseball Classic game telecasts helped MLB Network to its most-watched weekend ever, drawing an average of 252,000 viewers* from Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 10.
MLB Network’s two other 2013 World Baseball Classic game telecasts featuring Team USA are among the top five most-watched non-Postseason game telecasts in the network’s history. Friday’s Mexico vs. USA matchup averaged 673,000 viewers, the network’s second-most viewed non-Postseason game telecast, while Saturday’s USA vs. Italy game drew an average of 576,000 viewers. The Dominican Republic’s defeat of Puerto Rico on Sunday averaged 513,000 viewers, the most-viewed non-USA game telecast of the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
* All figures per Nielsen; weekend viewership includes Friday-Saturday from 6a-6a and Sunday from 6a-3a
That will do it.
