Fox's coverage of last night's NLCS Game One, featuring
Mets-Cardinals, earned a 7.9/12 overnight Nielsen rating,
down 37% from last year's comparable Red Sox-Yankees ALCS
Game One rating of a 12.5/20 (Fox). Meanwhile, NBC's
coverage of yesterday ALCS Game Two, featuring Mariners-
Yankees, earned a 7.6/17 overnight Nielsen rating, up 4%
from last year's comparable Mets-Braves NLCS Game Two rating
of a 7.3/17. Tuesday's Mariners-Yankees ALCS Game One on
NBC earned an 8.8/15 fast national rating, down 19% from
last year's comparable NLCS Game One, which earned a 10.8/18
(NBC). DAILY VARIETY's Rick Kissell reports that ABC won
Tuesday night with total viewers. NBC's Game One coverage
averaged 11.94 million viewers and earned a 4.5/12 in adults
age 18-49 (DAILY VARIETY, 10/12). But the HOLLYWOOD
REPORTER's Cynthia Littleton writes NBC "trailed its
competitors in fourth place for the night," and NBC's Game
One coverage averaged 10.6 million viewers and a 4.0/10 in
adults age 18-49 (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 10/12).
CRITICS CORNER: In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley, on Tuesday's
M's-Yanks ALCS Game One: "Three hours and 45 minutes to play
a game in which two runs were scored. ... What percentage
viewers dropped by the wayside because it wasn't worth
staying up until 11 p.m., midnight in the East, to watch the
end? ... And here's the more frightening consideration: What
percentage of viewers decided not to board the train at all
at 7:15 p.m., knowing they wouldn't last until the end of
the trip anyway?" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 10/12).
NOTES: ESPN's coverage of eight divisional playoff
games averaged a 2.94 cable rating, down 16% from last
year's 3.51 for seven games (AP, 10/12). USA TODAY's Yerak
& McCarthy note Fox's divisional series ratings "sputtered
25% to record lows." Fox Sports Senior VP Lou D'Ermilio, on
the nets' coverage of last Wednesday's Yankees-A's ALDS Game
Two losing in "every male demographic segment" to UPN's
"Star Trek: Voyager": "It was the first game of the division
series, not the seventh game of the World Series."
Schulman/Advanswers media buyer Tom DeCabia, noting the
ratings drop: "I'm sure NBC is glad they're getting out of
the baseball business." But A-B VP/Corporate Media & Sports
Marketing Tony Ponturo said that games airing on three nets
"confused fans," as fans are "catching their breath" after
the Games. Ponturo added that A-B "hasn't ... asked" for
make-good ads (USA TODAY, 10/12).
A SWIPE AT MILLER? Fox's Joe Buck, during last night's
Mets-Cardinals NLCS, referenced "MNF" Dennis Miller's Wayne
Chrebet jersey joke by saying to Tim McCarver, "Before you
take off your shirt to reveal your Chipper Jones jersey,
we'll talk about hitting" (Fox, 10/11).
