Fox Sports announced that its telecast of Tuesday's MLB
All-Star Game received an 11.8 rating/21 share. Fox
estimates that 32.9 million viewers watched the game (Fox
Sports). The telecast was the "lowest rated since the event
went to primetime in 1967," according to Stephen Battaglio
in the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The figure was down 11% from
last year's NBC telecast, which set the previous low of
13.2/23 (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/10). Fox Exec Producer Ed
Goren: "Summer prime-time viewing has been down all summer,
and that's somewhat of a factor. To come up with the
reasons and rationales (for the low numbers) ... we just
don't have any ... I still maintain this is a very healthy
number" (N.Y. POST, 7/10). Among big markets, the game
earned a 13.5 in N.Y., a 12.6 in Chicago and a 13.1 in L.A.
(AP/ESPN SportsZone, 7/10). NEWSDAY's Steve Zipay notes
cities without MLB teams "dragged the numbers down,"
including Orlando, Charlotte and Phoenix (NEWSDAY, 7/10).
UH-OH, CANADA: Fox did not air the singing of the
Canadian national anthem during it's broadcasts, and in
Toronto, Ken McKee writes that Fox "instead used those
minutes for commercials." In Canada, the game was seen on
TSN, which was using Fox's feed. Fox VP/Communications
Vince Wladika: "We are a U.S.-based broadcaster and our
ratings and responsibilities are to American viewers"
(TORONTO STAR, 7/10). Blue Jays President Paul Beeston, on
Fox's move: "I plan to follow this up" (TORONTO SUN, 7/10).
In Baltimore, Milton Kent called the decision "troubling,
though not surprising, considering that Montreal is only on
the Fox schedule for two appearances this season and Toronto
is not scheduled" (Baltimore SUN, 7/10).
NOTES: ESPN's Monday telecast of the Home Run Derby
earned a 5.7 rating, making it the network's highest-rated
show of this year. The rating translates to 4.075 million
households (ESPN)....USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand writes on
Norwegian reaction to the new Nike spots that ran during the
All-Star Game. The Norwegian Tourist Board's Harald Hansen,
on the ads with "Got a problem with baseball? Move to
Norway" tagline: "Who knows? Maybe it will get some people
to go to Norway who don't like baseball" (USA TODAY, 7/10).
