MLB officially announced that the World Series will begin on Wednesday, October 24, pushing Game One back from its traditional Saturday starting date. The off-days during the World Series will land on Friday, October 26, and Tuesday, October 30. MLB President & COO Bob DuPuy said, “Starting the World Series in the middle of the week, when television viewership is historically higher, will provide more fans with the opportunity to watch the games” (
MLB). In L.A., Johnson & DiGiovanna note TV audiences “typically are 15% bigger on Wednesday nights than on Saturdays.” The move also allows MLB to avoid a Friday night game, the “second-worst night of the broadcast week.” Fox Sports Senior VP/Research & Programming Bill Wanger said, “We want to put on the games when the most people are there to watch them. We can get off on a stronger note. And we’re not going to be competing with NFL and NCAA football or even NASCAR on the weekend. We’ll have the stage to ourselves” (
L.A. TIMES, 5/15). ESPN will air Packers-Broncos “MNF” opposite Game Five; Monday traditionally had been a travel day for the World Series. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” does not have a game scheduled opposite Game Four (
THE DAILY).
CHASE FOR RATINGS: In Akron, George Thomas writes the date switch “is a serious attempt to get back those viewers who have all but abandoned baseball in favor of football ... and NASCAR” (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 5/15). But in Detroit, Rob Parker writes MLB is “chasing something that isn’t worth pursuing –- TV ratings” (DETROIT NEWS, 5/15). With last year’s Cardinals-Tigers matchup earning the lowest average ratings ever for a World Series, on Long Island, Neil Best writes, “At this point, Fox and MLB are willing to do just about anything to prop up meager ratings for the Fall Classic” (NEWSDAY, 5/15). In West Palm Beach, Dave George writes, “This isn’t so much about days of the week ... or months of the year. This is about baseball’s shrinking influence on the entertainment scene. ... The game just can’t stand on its own merit when it comes to grabbing and keeping America’s attention” (PALM BEACH POST, 5/15).
NOVEMBER RAIN (OR SNOW)? The move pushes a potential World Series Game Seven to November 1, and an MLB official said of the potential for weather issues in moving games later, “We’ve studied it, and we don’t think four or five days is likely to make a difference at that time of year. It’s the luck of the draw” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/15).
