American League Central Division Tiebreaker Was Big
TMC
How big? Both TBS and MLB put out press releases on the ratings saying
it was the most watched tiebreaking in over a decade. Let's look at
TBS' release first.
TBS Hits Homerun with Most Watched MLB Tiebreaker Game Since 1998
TBS scored with its exclusive coverage of last night’s 12-inning
showdown between the Detroit Tigers @ Minnesota Twins, which was the
most watched MLB tiebreaker game since 1998, garnering 6,543,000 total
viewers. In addition, the game was the most watched regular season
game on broadcast or cable during the 2009 season.The American League
Central clinching game propelled the Twins into the MLB Postseason to
face the American League East Champions, the New York Yankees.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->The game delivered a record
number 6,543,000 total viewers, a 57% increase over last year’s
tiebreaker game between the Minnesota Twins @ Chicago White Sox.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->The game produced a 4.2 U.S.
HH rating, a 56% increase over last year’s tiebreaker game.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->The tiebreaker game also saw
significant growth in households and key demos including:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->Households: +53% 4,780,000
vs. 3,129,000
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->A18-34: +49% 1,335,000 vs.
896,000.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->A18-49: +47% 2,814,000 vs.
1,913,000
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->A25-54: +50% 2,971,000 vs.
1,984,000
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->M18-34: +38% 958,000 vs.
695,000
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->M18-49: +41% 1,991,000 vs.
1,409,000
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->M25-54: +47% 2,105,000 vs.
1,432,000
· <!--[endif]-->The game delivered a 27.1 rating in the Minnesota DMA
and a 24.6 rating in the Detroit DMA.
The MLB Postseason on TBS continues tomorrow with a tripleheader; the
first game will feature NLDS Game #2 between the Philadelphia Phillies
and the Colorado Rockies at 2:30 p.m. (ET). The second game will be
Game #2 of the St. Louis Cardinals @ Los Angeles Dodgers at 6 p.m.
(ET). The third game of the night will feature the Los Angeles Angels
of Anaheim hosting the Boston Red Sox in their ALDS Game #1 at 9:30
p.m. (ET).
And this is MLB's official statement on the tiebreaker game.
A.L. CENTRAL TIEBREAKER IS MOST-VIEWED PLAY-IN GAME SINCE 1998
Twins-Tigers on TBS Averages 6.54 Million Viewers
NEW YORK – Last night’s thrilling 12-inning A.L. Central Tiebreaker
Game between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers on TBS (5:00-10:00
pm) marked the largest national network audience for a postseason play-
in game since 1998 delivering an average audience of 6.54 million
viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Of the six one-game
postseason play-in games that have taken place during the Wildcard
era, only the 1998 contest between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco
Giants delivered a larger network audience than last night’s broadcast
on TBS.
Last night’s average audience of 6.54 million viewers marks a 57%
increase over last year’s tiebreaker between the Minnesota Twins and
the Chicago White Sox, which averaged 4.16 million viewers while
airing from 7:30-10:08pm on a Tuesday night on TBS.
Last night’s MLB coverage on TBS registered 4.2/8 U.S. HH rating and
share and a 4.8 HH rating within TBS’s coverage area.
Last night’s A.L. Central Tiebreaker on TBS ranked as the most-watched
telecast of the day in all of cable television in households, viewers,
and key demographics including Men 18-34, Men 18-49, Men 25-54, Adults
18-49 and Adults 25-54. Twins-Tigers led TBS to be the most viewed
cable network of the day on both a primetime (8:00-11:00pm) and total-
day basis among households, viewers and all of the demographics above,
as well as among Adults 18-34. The 6.54 million viewers drawn for last
night’s game stands as TBS’s most-viewed telecast of any kind since
the conclusion of last year’s ALCS between the Tampa Bay Rays and
Boston Red Sox.
Viewership for the game grew throughout the broadcast, peaking at 11.4
million viewers from 9:30-9:45pm as the Twins scored the game winning
run in the bottom of the 12th inning.
Locally, last night’s game drew a 27.1/44 HH rating and share in
Minneapolis, marking a +56% increase over the 17.4/28 the market drew
for the 2008 tiebreaker featuring the Twins. In Detroit last night’s
game registered a 24.6/38.
It's big when the league and your TV partner put out separate releases
on the same game.