MLB Draft Sees Best Audience Yet; Braves, Yanks Still Rising

MLB Net averaged 320,000 viewers for the first two rounds of the Draft on Monday night, marking a record for the network. That figure is up 21% from 265,000 viewers last year. Meanwhile, MLB Net’s game viewership through May is up 7% compared to the same period last season, and “MLB Network Showcase” game windows are up 17%. The cable net’s weekday studio shows in the 10:00am-6:00pm ET window are also up 26% in viewership.

NORTH & SOUTH: YES Net’s local ratings for Yankees games through May are up 13% compared to the same period last season. The RSN’s games have averaged a 4.17 local rating in the N.Y. market to date, the best start through May 31 for the RSN in six years. Ratings are also up among males 25-54 (+12%) and 18-49 (+9%). Meanwhile, Braves games on FS South and FS Southeast are up 44% to date. Through 61 games, the team is averaging a 2.88 local rating in Atlanta, up from a 2.0 rating through the same period last season. Last month was the best month for Braves games on the RSNs since April ’14.