TBS is spinning its National League Championship Series ratings to 2011 when it last carried the NLCS. And when you do that, TBS can say its ratings are up. In fact, TBS is saying its two games of this year’s NLCS is averaging a 3.0 household rating and 4.7 million viewers. That’s up 50% and 47% respectively from the 2011 NLCS between St. Louis and Milwaukee.
However, compared to last year when it carried the American League Championship Series between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees, through two games, TBS averaged a 3.65 rating and an audience of 5.92 million.
But you spin how you want to spin.
Here’s the TBS press release.
TBS’ Exclusive Coverage of 2013 NLCS Averaging 4.7 Million Total Viewers, Up 47%
TBS’ exclusive presentation of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals is averaging a 3.0 U.S. HH rating and 4.7 million total viewers through two games, increases of 50% and 47% compared with a 2.0 U.S. HH rating and 3.2 million total viewers for the first two games of the 2011 NLCS on TBS – the last time the network aired the NLCS – between the Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers.
The network’s NLCS Game 2 telecast yesterday afternoon, Saturday, Oct. 12 – a pitchers’ duel won by the Cardinals 1-0 – averaged a 2.2 U.S. HH rating, up 16% over Game 2 of the 2011 NLCS which aired in primetime on TBS and averaged a 1.9 U.S. HH rating. The corresponding 3.4 million total viewers for this year’s telecast is a 13% increase over the average of three million total viewers for Game 2 of the 2011 NLCS.
Yesterday afternoon’s Game 2 telecast peaked with a 2.9 U.S. HH rating from 6:30-6:45 p.m.
Locally, the telecast generated a 26.2 HH rating in St. Louis and a 7.3 in Los Angeles. Through two games, the 2013 NLCS is averaging a 28.8 HH rating in St. Louis, up 10% from 2011’s two-game average of 26.2. In L.A., this year’s NLCS is averaging a 10.5 HH rating, an 18% increase from an 8.9 HH rating through two games in 2009, the last time the Dodgers appeared in the LCS.
TBS’ exclusive coverage of the 2013 NLCS continues tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 14, with Game 3 of the best-of-seven series at 8 p.m. The network will preview the action with the MLB Postseason Pre-Game on TBS at 7:30 p.m.
Source: Fast Nationals and Metered Market Ratings based on Nielsen Live + Same Day data stream for the dates of MLB Wild Card, LDS, NLCS Game 1 10/01/2013 – 10/12/2013 vs. 10/05/2012 – 10/14/12.
We’ll have Fox’s ALCS numbers next.
