There is a chance Astros-Dodgers will be "at or near the bottom" of historical World Series viewership numbers, as the absence of an East Coast team "does not bode well for viewership" for Fox, according to David Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. The least-viewed World Series was in '12 for the Giants' four-game sweep of the Tigers. Length of series also is "always going to be a determining factor," as last year's Cubs-Indians seven-game series demonstrated. But Astros-Dodgers has a "fairly solid chance of avoiding the cellar." Cardinals-Rangers in '11 averaged 16.5 million viewers for a seven-game series, and a seven-game Astros-Dodgers series "could exceed that." A shorter series "would be about on par" with the series results from '13-15. The Dodgers, playing in their first World Series since '88, have "more cachet than the Giants." The Astros "picked up some name recognition" from playing the Yankees in the ALCS "plus the ongoing Hurricane Harvey recovery storyline, and that could pick up some Eastern viewers" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/24).
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WORLD SERIES AVERAGE AUDIENCE TREND ON FOX
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|
YEAR
|
GAMES
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VIEWERS (000)
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MATCHUP
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|
'16
|
7
|
23,400
|
Cubs-Indians
|
|
'15
|
5
|
14,699
|
Royals-Mets
|
|
'14
|
7
|
13,825
|
Giants-Royals
|
|
'13
|
6
|
14,940
|
Red Sox-Cardinals
|
|
'12
|
4
|
12,660
|
Giants-Tigers
|
|
'11
|
7
|
16,645
|
Cardinals-Rangers
|
|
'10
|
5
|
14,268
|
Giants-Rangers
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GOOD EYE: In St. Louis, Dan Caesar noted for the World Series this year, Fox plans to "augment its array of up to 41 cameras and 121 microphones with eight 'motion cameras' as well as graphics that show" pitch speed and location in relation to a "computer-generated box that represents the strike zone" (
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 10/20). In L.A., Tom Hoffarth noted eight "expensive and expansive special motion cameras will be trucked over from the L.A. Fox lot" for the net’s 20th year covering the World Series. They "range in hierarchy from Sony’s Super Slow Motion, Hyper Motion and the Fox Phantom Cameras, which vary in producing 360 to 960 to 2,500 frames per second." The first two are "focused on all game action at various angles; the latter are positioned on each side of the batter’s box." All these digital images captured by the cameras "go into a computer server for quick editing and turnaround, not just for viewers but also replay officials" in N.Y. in case a review is requested. Fox Sports Senior VP/Field & Technical Operations Mike Davies "admits that there are more motion cameras in play for the World Series than at any other baseball game on any network this season" (
L.A. DAILY NEWS, 10/22).
COVERING THE COVERAGE: The Astros-Dodgers matchup is generating a new lift in notoriety and attention for SI. The magazine’s cover in June ’14 had Astros CF George Springer with the headline, “Your 2017 World Series Champs.” There also was another SI issue two months ago wondering if the Dodgers were the “Best.Team.Ever?” Some copies of the Springer issue in recent days have sold for more than $150 on eBay. SI Group Senior VP & Editorial Dir Chris Stone said, “We can’t go wrong here. It’s a fun position to be in. But we’re always looking for the next big thing and to look at things in a different way. And with the Astros in particular, that was obviously looking at things in a different way.” Stone, however, acknowledged that despite the foresight in the two cover stories, written by Ben Reiter and Stephanie Apstein, it won’t be enough to shake the long-held notion of the SI cover jinx. Stone: “Don’t forget we haven’t correctly picked a World Series champ in 17 years.” This year’s SI MLB preview issue did forecast the Dodgers to win. SI this week is featuring the Astros-Dodgers matchup with two regional covers featuring Astros 2B Jose Altuve and Dodgers 3B Justin Turner. Reiter also follows up the '14 Astros piece with a new SI.com story, "About That Prediction...How the Astros Went From Baseball's Cellar to the 2017 World Series" (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer).
