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ESPN Will Stick With Current "SNB" Booth For '19 Season

Rodriguez (r) grew less scripted as the season went on, showing his true passion for baseballespn images

ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" is planning to "stick with the crew" of Matt Vasgersian, Alex Rodriguez, Jessica Mendoza and Buster Olney for the '19 season, according to Andrew Marchand of the N.Y. POST. There had been "questions about if Mendoza would return," as her contract is up at the end of '18, "fueling speculation that she could be pushed off the SNB gig to make it even more the A-Rod show." ESPN plans to keep "SNB" "exactly how it is, though Mendoza's contract "still must be worked out." The actual broadcast of "SNB" has "improved over the year, though there is still far too much -- besides the game -- going on." Rodriguez "grew a little less scripted" as the season went on, as he does "have a true passion for baseball." Vasgersian "brought in Olney more" than former voice Dan Shulman did, "allowing Olney to become almost a third analyst and demonstrate his deep knowledge of the game" (N.Y. POST, 9/28).

DOWN IN THE ZONE: “SNB” wrapped up the season with viewership (TAD) down 4%, as games averaged 1.58 million viewers. The decline comes after an 8% uptick last season. Included in the “SNB” package this season was the Cardinals-Cubs Thursday night matchup just after the All-Star break, which helped boost the package after viewership was down closer to 8% earlier in the season. Also hurting audience figures this season were four early-season rain delays and the fact that “SNB” was not the season-opening telecast it had been in many prior seasons. Mets-Yankees also was a complete rainout on July 22. If the May Giants-Cubs game on ESPN2 is removed from the schedule, ESPN is down only 3% for the season. Meanwhile, Red Sox-Yankees, always a big draw for “SNB,” only appeared twice on the package this season due to scheduling. The average viewership for those two games was 65% higher than the “SNB” season average in ’18. Last season, that gap was 40%, and two seasons ago, it was 27%. Leading into “SNB” in ’18, “Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown” saw a 15% viewership increase this season. The “SNB” telecasts on ESPN Deportes also saw a 15% year-over-year gain (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).

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