TBS Scores With MLB Wild Card Doubleheader

Sorry about not updating the site until now. My entire Saturday was planned for me and the same for Sunday so you probably won’t see NFL pregame quotage until late.

The MLB Wild Card Games on TBS on Friday did well. Overnight ratings showed that the Channel Formerly Known As The Superstation registered an average 3.7 rating for the St. Louis-Atlanta and Baltimore-Texas games. Individually, the National League Wild Card Game saw a 3.3 overnight rating for the contest that started late afternoon on the East Coast. The American League Wild Card Game in primetime received a respectable 4.1.

As you’re aware, this is the first time for the Wild Card Games so we’ll get a comparison of how this resonates with the American people next year.

Locally, St. Louis and Baltimore saw boffo ratings, seeing overnight numbers over 20 which is amazing. And TBS says it finished second in primetime among all networks, broadcast and cable on Friday.

Final numbers should come on Tuesday with this being a holiday weekend.

Here’s the Turner Sports press release.

TBS Scores on First Day of 2012 MLB Postseason

Network Averages 3.7 Overnight Rating for Wild Card Games
Wild Card Games Deliver 20.4 Metered Market Rating in St. Louis; 20.1 in Baltimore

TBS’ exclusive live doubleheader coverage of Major League Baseball’s first-ever Wild Card averaged a 3.7 overnight rating, based on Nielsen overnight ratings. The network’s telecasts, marking the start of the 2012 MLB Postseason, were up 12 percent compared with an averaged 3.3 overnight rating for the entire Division Series last year. When compared to last year’s opening day of the MLB Postseason (Texas vs. Tampa Bay, ALDS Game 1 – 2.3 overnight rating), the Wild Card games are up 61 percent.

TBS’ coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves at 5 p.m. ET averaged a 3.3 overnight rating, with the Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers at 8:30 p.m. averaging a 4.1 overnight rating.

Locally, the Cardinals/Braves telecast registered a 20.4 metered market rating in St. Louis and a 9.1 rating in Atlanta. The Orioles/Rangers telecast posted a 20.1 metered market rating in Baltimore – the market’s highest local rating for an MLB telecast across any network since the ALCS Game 7 in 2004 between New York and Boston – and a 14.3 rating in Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Based on overnight ratings, TBS finished second last night among all television networks in prime time (8-11 p.m.) with a 4.4 rating.

Sunday’s MLB Postseason schedule on TBS:

2:30 p.m. ET MLB On-Deck
Matt Winer, Dennis Eckersley and David Wells
   
3 p.m. NLDS Game 1: Washington at St. Louis
Dick Stockton, Bob Brenly, David Aldridge
   
6:15 p.m. ALDS Game 1: New York at Baltimore
Ernie Johnson, John Smoltz, Cal Ripken and Craig Sager
   
9:30 p.m. NLDS Game 2: Cincinnati at San Francisco
Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, Joe Simpson and Tom Verducci
   
Post-game Inside MLB
Matt Winer, Dennis Eckersley and David Wells

Source: Based on Nielsen Media Research. Arianna based upon Live + Same Day Metered Market Data 2012 MLB Wild Card (10-05-12) compared to 2011 MLB League Divisional Series dates on TBS and TNT.

That’s all.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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