MLB All-Star Game viewership hit an all-time low this year, with Tuesday night's telecast on Fox averaging just 8.71 million viewers. That also marks the first time the event has failed to crack 10 million viewers. Fox saw a 20% drop in viewership for the ASG compared to '15. This year's ASG also was not the most-viewed telecast of the night, as NBC's "America's Got Talent" (8:00-10:00pm ET) outdrew the game with 11.54 million viewers. While ASG viewership was at a new low in the U.S., it saw a record audience in Canada. Sportsnet delivered 993,000 viewers north of the border, up 54% from the previous record set by the '14 ASG. Meanwhile, ESPN saw a 22% drop in viewership for the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday night. ESPN drew 5.52 million viewers for Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton's win, which compares to 7.13 million viewers last year, which was the first year of the event's new format. The figure for this year's Derby is just above '14 (5.4 million viewers), when the event started an hour late due to rain and finished close to midnight (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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MLB ALL-STAR GAME AUDIENCE TREND ON FOX
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YEAR
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VIEWERS (000)
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YEAR
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VIEWERS (000)
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'16
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8,707
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'11
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10,973
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'15
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10,914
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'10
|
12,118
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'14
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11,338
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'09
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14,593
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'13
|
10,956
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'08*
|
13,374
|
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'12
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10,897
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'07
|
12,530
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MLB HOME RUN DERBY AUDIENCE TREND ON ESPN
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YEAR
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VIEWERS (000)
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YEAR
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VIEWERS (000)
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|
'16
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5,524
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'11
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6,686
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'15^
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7,126
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'10
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6,418
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'14**
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5,402
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'09
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8,250
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'13
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6,651
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'08
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9,116
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'12
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6,882
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'07
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6,778
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|
|
|
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CHART NOTES: * = Game lasted 15 innings. ^ = First year of new Derby format. ** = Started an hour late due to rain.
A LONG FALL: On Long Island, Neil Best writes the "relatively paltry figures" for the All-Star Game is the "continuation of a decades-long slide" (NEWSDAY, 7/14). AD AGE's Anthony Crupi noted All-Star Game viewership has now "dropped to a record low across just about every conceivable metric." Fox' telecast drew 2.79 million viewers in the 18-49 demo, down 29% from '15. However, MLB "continued to out-deliver" other pro leagues' All-Star games. ESPN only drew 7.99 million viewers for the '16 Pro Bowl, while TNT/TBS drew 7.61 million viewers for the '16 NBA All-Star Game. While the MLB All-Star Game audience is "on the wane, Fox continues to drum up big business with its annual broadcast." MLB sponsors like Chevrolet, MasterCard, Pepsi, T-Mobile, Budweiser and Bank of America were "among the most conspicuous advertisers," with those six brands airing "no fewer than 16 spots, or nearly one-quarter of the available in-game units." Media-buying sources said that the "average cost of a 30-second spot in the broadcast ranged from around $575,000 to $600,000 a pop" (ADAGE.com, 7/13).
