Fox's coverage of last night's Cardinals-Mets NLCS Game
Five earned a 7.9/12 overnight Nielsen rating, down 30% from
last year's comparable Red Sox-Yankees ALCS Game Five, which
earned an 11.3/18. The game went up against ABC's "MNF"
Jaguars-Titans game, which earned a 10.8/17 overnight, which
was down 14% from last year's 12.5/20. Last year's "MNF"
game had no competition from MLB playoffs (THE DAILY).
NO WORRIES FOR HILL: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir reports
that the first five LCS games -- two on Fox and three on NBC
-- produced an average final Nielsen rating of 7.5, down 25%
from last year, which follows a 28% decline in the networks'
Division Series ratings. Fox Sports TV Group Chair David
Hill, on the impact the start of the new fall season has had
on MLB ratings: "It was pretty apparent that with the
launches delayed, we weren't looking at stellar ratings."
Sandomir adds that season premieres "can wield substantial
clout, but Fox is assigning enough power to them to account
for lower ratings." Hill also said that Fox "anticipated an
'Olympic hangover,'" as viewers "were hungering for
entertainment." Hill, noting the ratings and Fox' new six-
year, $2.5B MLB deal: "There is no buyer's regret. People
said the same thing when we did our deal with the N.F.L.
And in the third year of the new deal, we're up. Baseball
in postseason is second only to the N.F.L." MLB
Commissioner Bud Selig: "I don't believe we're on a slide.
I have every confidence time will bear that out. Let's see
what happens now, with the debates about to end and the
season premieres over" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/17).
TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME: In N.Y., Bob Raissman
writes that the length of MLB postseason games this season
"are setting new records and setting up a potential World
Series ratings disaster for Fox." The "marathon nature of
these contests can only lead to the further erosion of its
fan base" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/17). But Fox Sports VP/Media
Relations Lou D'Ermilio says the length of games does not
translate to lower ratings: "When the games get past 11
o'clock on the East Coast, our share of audience actually
goes up. If there are some ways to streamline the game and
make it move quicker, that'd be great. But when it's
getting later on the East Coast and making it more difficult
to watch, it's also getting into prime time on the West
Coast and making it easier for people to watch. So it has
to be a balance" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/17).
N.Y.-N.Y.? Mets co-Owner Fred Wilpon said the networks
and TV execs "will be extremely happy" with a Subway Series.
Wilpon: "This is the major market in the world, so they are
very happy. I think people are very interested in the New
York teams, particularly the Yankees" (ST. LOUIS POST-
DISPATCH, 10/17). NEWSDAY's Steve Zipay writes that Fox
"expects" a 45 rating in the N.Y. market for a Subway Series
(NEWSDAY, 10/17). One Fox "rival-network" official said, "I
think a Subway Series will do horribly everywhere but New
York." However, Fox Sports Dir of Media Relations Dan Bell
said, "If it's a long series, which gives viewers a reason
to watch, that's all we hope for" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/17).
S.F. Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius: "Just what we need is
another opportunity for a bunch smug New Yorkers to tell us
the center of the universe [is N.Y.]. This is a bad thing
[for MLB]" ("Last Word," FSN, 10/13). BBDO/OMD Senior VP &
Associate Media Dir John Mattimore: "A Yankees-Mets series
would just be too regional -- a World Series has to be more
diverse." Mattimore cited the A's-Giants '89 World Series,
as its 16.4 rating is the third-lowest in World Series
history (DAILY VARIETY, 10/17). CBS' David Letterman: "New
York is really very excited [for a Subway Series]. People
in this town are already printing up fake tickets" ("Late
Show," 10/16). In the N.Y. market Sunday, the Cardinals-
Mets NLCS Game Four earned an 18.3 on Fox, the Yankees-
Mariners earned a 17.8 on WNBC, Giants-Cowboys earned a 12.7
and Jets-Patriots earned a 5.6 (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/17).
ADVERTISERS ON THE BENCH? DAILY VARIETY's Dempsey &
McNary report that the SAG/AFTRA strike has meant that MLB
sponsors MasterCard and Claritin "have both dropped plans"
for MLB-themed spots that would have broken during the
Series. Now, "several sponsors use a more direct-marketing
approach" during the Series, such as signups at the
ballparks for Mobil's Speedpass and MBNA's MasterCard and
dugout displays of the Gatorade logo (DAILY VARIETY, 10/17).
MARKET SHARE: In San Jose, Tim Kawakami writes that in
the Bay Area, the 49ers-Packers national game on KTVU-Fox on
Sunday earned a 22.3 average rating, while the Yankees-
Mariners earned a 4.1 on KRON-NBC (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS,
10/17). In Boston, Howard Manly writes that Sunday's Jets-
Patriots game on WBZ-CBS earned a 21.7/40, while the
Yankees-Mariners earned a 7.9/13 on WHDH-NBC, and the Cards-
Mets earned a 5.6/9 on WFXT-Fox (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/17).
DISCUSS THIS: Pax Communications will broadcast
tonight's ALCS Mariners-Yankees Game Six via NBC affil feeds
in 24 markets, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, DC
and St. Louis, as the final presidential debate is to be
held in MO. NBC offered its affils the option of showing
MLB playoff coverage or the debate (Pax).
