The National League Championship Series has not been much of a draw thus far, but the numbers have been more than good enough for Fox Sports 1.
Game 2 of the Giants/Cardinals NLCS drew 4.4 million viewers on Fox Sports 1 Sunday night, down 48% from Tigers/Red Sox with an NFL lead-in last year (8.3M) and down 22% from Cardinals/Giants in 2012 (5.6M). Last year’s Dodgers/Cardinals Game 2 on TBS had 3.4 million, though that was on a Saturday afternoon.
Despite the big declines, Game 2 ranks as the most-watched program in the history of FS1 or predecessor Speed Channel. The previous high was just over 4.2 million for the 2011 NASCAR All-Star Race, and the previous high since rebranding to FS1 was 3.9 million for Nationals/Giants Game 4 last week.
Game 1 on Saturday night drew a 3.1 final rating and 5.0 million viewers on FOX, down 26% in ratings and 27% in viewership from Tigers/Red Sox last year (4.2, 6.8M) and down 24% and 27%, respectively, from Cardinals/Giants on a Sunday in 2012 (4.1, 6.8M). Last year’s Dodgers/Cardinals Game 1 on TBS drew a 3.5 and 5.5 million. It was not immediately clear whether the Game 1 numbers included the Fox Sports 1 simulcast.
Saturday’s 3.1 rating is the lowest ever for a primetime LCS game on broadcast and the second-lowest regardless of timeslot. The only game to draw a lower rating was Giants/Cardinals Game 3 in 2012 — an afternoon game that included a three hour rain delay (2.7).
Through two games, the Giants/Cardinals series has averaged 4.7 million viewers on FOX and FS1 — down 37% from Tigers/Red Sox on FOX last year (7.5M). Viewership is even with last year’s Dodgers/Cardinals series on TBS, reports Sports Media Watch.