World Series TV ratings way up (1 Viewer)

[Doctor Detroit]

Ratings

Last year, when the Yankees failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1994, baseball fans the country over were gleeful. They were also uninterested in watching the postseason, and as the Yanks are now within three wins of a World Series title, a common theme has emerged this October: The Yankees are good for baseball. The ratings from Games 1 and 2 of the World Series are in, and the numbers are great. The ratings for Game 1 were up 34 percent over 2008, and the game was the second most viewed Game 1 since 1999. Last night’s game saw a whopping 48 percent increase in viewership over 2008’s Game 2. If this World Series stretches on long enough, the TV ratings and viewership figures could very well set some cumulative Fall Classic records.

Looks like Goggins was right, baseball is dying.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Tampa Bay being in the WS last year could not have helped. People don't even go to their games, so how can MLB expect them to be a big ratings draw for a World Series? Philly and New York in a World Series is a ratings dream for MLB. Baseball may be trailing football by a wide margin now, but it definitely isn't dying.

 

[eoMMan]

God I hate the high salary, buying any free-agent they want, Yankees and God I hate their front running fans all over America.

 

[kaa]

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/wstv.shtml

You have to laugh at people who say "Well the 2009 world series has the best ratings since 2004, therefore the sport isn't dying." If this was 10 years ago, these ratings would be near the record low. A 19 share for a Yankee World Series would rank as a new record low since ratings began their decline.

 

[kaa]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

 

[saintsfan]

God I hate the high salary, buying any free-agent they want, Yankees and God I hate their front running fans all over America.

This buddy of mine is a huge Yankees fan and he commented before this year about how A-Rod isn't a "real" Yankee. This year, I asked him about the real Yankees and he got quiet.Take all the "not true Yankees" off this team and they don't make the playoffs. A bunch of mercenaries.

 

[RedRaiders]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

There's a lot more ways to watch/follow the games now. And a lot more competition on TV at the same time. It's the internet's fault.

 

[kaa]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

There's a lot more ways to watch/follow the games now. And a lot more competition on TV at the same time. It's the internet's fault.

So how come Super bowl viewership is rising while World Series viewership is falling?

 

[saintsfan]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

There's a lot more ways to watch/follow the games now. And a lot more competition on TV at the same time. It's the internet's fault.

So how come Super bowl viewership is rising while World Series viewership is falling?

The same reason why random Sunday Night or Monday Night Football gets much better ratings than World Series games.

 

[Jeremy]

This is what's frustrating if you're a fan of a small market team like I am. The Yankees missed the playoffs last year, picked up the 3 biggest names in free agency and now they're champions. Most other teams couldn't even afford one of those guys without having to give up many of their existing players.

So I'm thrilled they won. Let's have this discussion in the media, blogs, message boards. The absurdity of it all is right out there in the open for all to see. A bigger light could not be shined on it.

But what's the incentive to change it when the ratings are so much higher when the big boys are in it? Where's the incentive to make the league more fair when a Brewers-Indians world series would be a ratings disaster? Baseball seems to thrive on having a handful of core teams that matter with the rest of the league being fodder that occassionally rises above their station; providing just enough hope to keep those fans from going away completely.

Oh well. It is what it is, I guess.

 

[saintsfan]

This is what's frustrating if you're a fan of a small market team like I am. The Yankees missed the playoffs last year, picked up the 3 biggest names in free agency and now they're champions. Most other teams couldn't even afford one of those guys without having to give up many of their existing players. So I'm thrilled they won. Let's have this discussion in the media, blogs, message boards. The absurdity of it all is right out there in the open for all to see. A bigger light could not be shined on it. But what's the incentive to change it when the ratings are so much higher when the big boys are in it? Where's the incentive to make the league more fair when a Brewers-Indians world series would be a ratings disaster? Baseball seems to thrive on having a handful of core teams that matter with the rest of the league being fodder that occassionally rises above their station; providing just enough hope to keep those fans from going away completely. Oh well. It is what it is, I guess.

And it's always been this way. In the 20's and 30's, it was the Red Sox who acted as the Yankees farm system. Then, it was the Kansas City A's until the 1960's. Now, the entire bottom half of Major League Baseball exists to provide free agents to the Yankees.That's just the way it is and baseball likes it that way. I wouldn't expect meaningful change any time soon.The NFL is different because it's all about the shield. No team is bigger than the shield. The Yankees are bigger than Major League Baseball. Always have been and always will be.

 

[Hov34]

This is what's frustrating if you're a fan of a small market team like I am. The Yankees missed the playoffs last year, picked up the 3 biggest names in free agency and now they're champions. Most other teams couldn't even afford one of those guys without having to give up many of their existing players. So I'm thrilled they won. Let's have this discussion in the media, blogs, message boards. The absurdity of it all is right out there in the open for all to see. A bigger light could not be shined on it. But what's the incentive to change it when the ratings are so much higher when the big boys are in it? Where's the incentive to make the league more fair when a Brewers-Indians world series would be a ratings disaster? Baseball seems to thrive on having a handful of core teams that matter with the rest of the league being fodder that occassionally rises above their station; providing just enough hope to keep those fans from going away completely. Oh well. It is what it is, I guess.

And it's always been this way. In the 20's and 30's, it was the Red Sox who acted as the Yankees farm system. Then, it was the Kansas City A's until the 1960's. Now, the entire bottom half of Major League Baseball exists to provide free agents to the Yankees.That's just the way it is and baseball likes it that way. I wouldn't expect meaningful change any time soon.The NFL is different because it's all about the shield. No team is bigger than the shield. The Yankees are bigger than Major League Baseball. Always have been and always will be.

What a sad ####ty "sport".

 

[jobarules]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

There's a lot more ways to watch/follow the games now. And a lot more competition on TV at the same time. It's the internet's fault.

Just read game 7 of the Twins-Braves 91 series had 50 million viewers

 

[culdeus]

This is what's frustrating if you're a fan of a small market team like I am. The Yankees missed the playoffs last year, picked up the 3 biggest names in free agency and now they're champions. Most other teams couldn't even afford one of those guys without having to give up many of their existing players. So I'm thrilled they won. Let's have this discussion in the media, blogs, message boards. The absurdity of it all is right out there in the open for all to see. A bigger light could not be shined on it. But what's the incentive to change it when the ratings are so much higher when the big boys are in it? Where's the incentive to make the league more fair when a Brewers-Indians world series would be a ratings disaster? Baseball seems to thrive on having a handful of core teams that matter with the rest of the league being fodder that occassionally rises above their station; providing just enough hope to keep those fans from going away completely. Oh well. It is what it is, I guess.

If you are looking for a silver lining perhaps people had to see the Yankees win to do something about this. Though with the economics of the league as a whole I doubt things will change. Having the Rays in the playoffs was an abortion for baseball.

 

[Darth Cheney]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

There's a lot more ways to watch/follow the games now. And a lot more competition on TV at the same time. It's the internet's fault.

So how come Super bowl viewership is rising while World Series viewership is falling?

The SuperBowl is a one shot event on Sunday night at a good hour. The World Series it not. That is a huge reason.

 

[culdeus]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

There's a lot more ways to watch/follow the games now. And a lot more competition on TV at the same time. It's the internet's fault.

So how come Super bowl viewership is rising while World Series viewership is falling?

The SuperBowl is a one shot event on Sunday night at a good hour. The World Series it not. That is a huge reason.

What does that have to do with anything? Did MLB just go to a 7 game series since 2000?

 

[Rebirtha]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

There's a lot more ways to watch/follow the games now. And a lot more competition on TV at the same time. It's the internet's fault.

So how come Super bowl viewership is rising while World Series viewership is falling?

The same reason Britney Spears is a top selling recording artist; the majority of Americans are idiots.

 

[Eephus]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

There's a lot more ways to watch/follow the games now. And a lot more competition on TV at the same time. It's the internet's fault.

So how come Super bowl viewership is rising while World Series viewership is falling?

The SuperBowl is a one shot event on Sunday night at a good hour. The World Series it not. That is a huge reason.

What does that have to do with anything? Did MLB just go to a 7 game series since 2000?

The SuperBowl like the Melbourne Cup in Australia and the FA Cup in England has evolved into more of a national cultural event than a sporting competition. The World Series for better or worse is still a bunch of ball games.

 

[kaa]

This is what's frustrating if you're a fan of a small market team like I am. The Yankees missed the playoffs last year, picked up the 3 biggest names in free agency and now they're champions. Most other teams couldn't even afford one of those guys without having to give up many of their existing players. So I'm thrilled they won. Let's have this discussion in the media, blogs, message boards. The absurdity of it all is right out there in the open for all to see. A bigger light could not be shined on it. But what's the incentive to change it when the ratings are so much higher when the big boys are in it? Where's the incentive to make the league more fair when a Brewers-Indians world series would be a ratings disaster? Baseball seems to thrive on having a handful of core teams that matter with the rest of the league being fodder that occassionally rises above their station; providing just enough hope to keep those fans from going away completely. Oh well. It is what it is, I guess.

If you are looking for a silver lining perhaps people had to see the Yankees win to do something about this. Though with the economics of the league as a whole I doubt things will change. Having the Rays in the playoffs was an abortion for baseball.

If that's how the league truly feels, then contract most the teams and just have some major market franchises competing like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, etc. I mean if its so damaging, just have like an 8 team league or something and go away.

 

[Darth Cheney]

Just think, everyone was concerned about the 2000 ratings when they fell to a then-record low of 12.4 rating, 21 share, and 18 million viewers. I don't think they imagined they'd have to try sell being happy about ratings being "way up" from 8.4 / 14 / 13.6 million, and not even up to the 2000 series.

There's a lot more ways to watch/follow the games now. And a lot more competition on TV at the same time. It's the internet's fault.

So how come Super bowl viewership is rising while World Series viewership is falling?

The SuperBowl is a one shot event on Sunday night at a good hour. The World Series it not. That is a huge reason.

What does that have to do with anything? Did MLB just go to a 7 game series since 2000?

Ummm A lot. 5 games of football starting at 8PM on a weeknight wouldn't do as well as the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is so much more than just a championship game. It's an event unto itself.

 

[gump]

Licensed sales are great...but will likely fall short of the record '04 Sox win. The best since then anyway. And product is selling across the country.

 

[Bluesbomber]

God I hate the high salary, buying any free-agent they want, Yankees and God I hate their front running fans all over America.

edit to add: At least it has been 10 years since they have won which makes it a good run for me and the White Sox , Phillies and Red Sox have won to boot. Another 9 or 10 years till the next Yankees WS win would be phenomenal and mean A Rod, Pettite and Jeter finish careers without another one in a pinstripe.

 

[Darth Cheney]

God I hate the high salary, buying any free-agent they want, Yankees and God I hate their front running fans all over America.

edit to add: At least it has been 10 years since they have won which makes it a good run for me and the White Sox , Phillies and Red Sox have won to boot. Another 9 or 10 years till the next Yankees WS win would be phenomenal and mean A Rod, Pettite and Jeter finish careers without another one in a pinstripe.

It was great seeing the Core Four win another one, huh?

 

[culdeus]

The SuperBowl is a one shot event on Sunday night at a good hour. The World Series it not. That is a huge reason.

What does that have to do with anything? Did MLB just go to a 7 game series since 2000?

Ummm A lot. 5 games of football starting at 8PM on a weeknight wouldn't do as well as the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is so much more than just a championship game. It's an event unto itself.

My point is that it's been that way for 20 years now. The OP was about short term ratings of the WS.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

My theory: Most hardcore baseball fans want more parity where extra teams actually have a chance to win each year. Part-time fans want big name teams to watch at playoff & World Series time. Since the first group is going to watch either way, MLB & the networks cater to the second group for ratings. This also means that they are in no hurry for a salary cap.

 

[Darth Cheney]

My theory: Most hardcore baseball fans want more parity where extra teams actually have a chance to win each year. Part-time fans want big name teams to watch at playoff & World Series time. Since the first group is going to watch either way, MLB & the networks cater to the second group for ratings. This also means that they are in no hurry for a salary cap.

How many more extra teams do you need to have? Since the strike we've seen the Braves, Indians, Yankees, Marlins, Padres, Mets, Diamondbacks, Angels, Giants, Red Sox, Cardinals, Astros, White Sox, Tigers, Rockies, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia make it to the World Series. I don't think anyone doesn't want to see more revenue sharing in baseball as the Yankees organization has too many resources at it's disposal to not be able to retool every year to make the playoffs. At the same time though, I don't think salary caps have helped the NBA a little bit.... and I'm not even convinced the NFL has it head and shoulders better.