Ratings Roundup: TBS’s MLB Postseason Up Slightly Over 2012; Broncos-Cowboys Gives CBS Biggest NFL Overnight of Season

TBS’s MLB Postseason is averaging a 2.3 U.S. HH rating through 11 telecasts, up 5% compared with a 2.2 U.S. HH rating in 2012.  The network’s average of 3,482,000 total viewers is up 2% over last year.

Sunday’s St. Louis-Pittsburgh and Atlanta-Los Angeles doubleheader averaged 3,174,000 total viewers and a 2.0 U.S. HH rating, up 19% and 18% over the comparable Sunday telecasts last year (1.7 U.S. HH rating and 2,664,000 total viewers). The network’s Cardinals/Pirates telecast peaked with a 2.4 U.S. HH rating from 7:15-7:30 p.m., with the Braves/Dodgers game reaching a 2.9 U.S. HH rating from 9:15-9:30 p.m.  The telecasts propelled TBS to win the night in primetime across all cable networks. Locally, the Cardinals/Pirates game generated a 28.6 HH rating in Pittsburgh, the second highest on record for a MLB game in the market (trailing only last week’s Wild Card Game), and a 21.8 HH rating in St. Louis.  The Braves/Dodgers game posted a 9.6 HH rating in Los Angeles, the best rating for a Dodgers game since Game 4 of the 2009 NLCS, and a 7.3 in Atlanta.

Three days earlier, TBS’s Thursday St. Louis-Pittsburgh and Atlanta-Los Angeles doubleheader averaged a 2.0 U.S. HH rating and 3.1 million total viewers, both up 11% compared with the first two NLDS telecasts last year (1.8 U.S. and 2.8 million for Washington/St. Louis and Cincinnati/San Francisco). The Pirates/Cardinals telecast averaged a 1.7 U.S. HH rating and 2.6 million total viewers, up 6% and 4%, respectively, over last year’s Nationals/Cardinals game (1.6 U.S. and 2.5 million). TBS’ Los Angeles/Atlanta telecast averaged a 2.3 U.S. HH rating and 3.5 million total viewers, up 21% and 13% over an average of a 1.9 U.S. HH rating and 3.1 million total viewers for the Reds/Giants game in 2012. The Pirates/Cardinals telecast peaked with a 1.9 HH rating from 7:45-8 p.m. ET, with the Dodgers/Braves game reaching a 2.9 from 9:13-9:30 p.m.  Locally the Pirates/Cardinals game posted a 19.3 in St. Louis and 19.2 in Pittsburgh with Dodgers/Braves registering a 10.2 in Atlanta and an 8.4 in Los Angeles…

…CBS scored the highest rating of the NFL season-to-date on any network with the Denver Broncos’ high-octane 51-48 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, posting an average overnight household rating/share of 18.6/34 in the metered markets (peaked at 24.4/41 from 7:30-7:45 PM, ET).  The 18.6/34 also was an 18% increase from last year (15.7/29; highlighted by Denver-New England; Buffalo-San Francisco; Tennessee-Minnesota). In addition, the game’s rating/share is the highest-rated program on television in the metered markets since the 2013 Academy Awards (26.1/41; 2/24/13). THE NFL ON CBS’s Week 5 regional game coverage in the early window earned an average overnight HH rating/share of 9.7/20, up 4% from last year’s 9.3/19…

…NESN’s coverage of Boston Bruins’ season opening win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 3 was the second highest rated regular season game in NESN history with a 9.0 average household rating in the Boston DMA (15 share). NESN’s best regular season game rating ever was last season’s opener against the New York Rangers on January 19, 2013 when NESN garnered 9.4 HH rating (17 share). NESN’s Bruins Overtime LIVE post-game coverage received a 5.0 HH rating (9 share), the third highest rating for a Bruins regular season post-game show in NESN history…

…NBC notched a 2.5 overnight rating for Sunday coverage of the Presidents Cup golf tournament, up 127% from coverage in 2011 (1.1), and even with 2009 (2.5). The 2011 tournament was based in Australia and took place in November. Coverage on Saturday drew a 2.2 overnight, up 100% from 2011 (1.1), and down 12% from 2011 (2.5). (SportsMediaWatch).

…ABC’s Ohio State/Northwestern “Saturday Night Football” game drew a 4.8 overnight rating, up 55% from Nebraska/Ohio State last year (3.1). and tield for the fifth-highest of the season for college football on any network. ABC also had an increase earlier in the day, as regional action drew a 2.8 overnight — up 47% from last year (1.9).

The Georgia/Tennessee game on CBS earned a 3.6 overnight, down 23% from LSU/Florida last year (4.7). CBS also drew a 1.0 overnight for Air Force/Navy, down 17% from the same matchup last year (1.2).

Over on NBC, the primetime Arizona State/Notre Dame game drew a 2.5 overnight,  down 36% from the network’s fourth Notre Dame telecast last year, against Stanford (3.9).

FOX’s TCU/Oklahoma game had a 1.3 overnight, down a whopping 59% from West Virginia/Texas last year (3.2), and tied as the network’s second-lowest overnight ever for a primetime college football game (SportsMediaWatch)…

…Game 1 of the Dream/Lynx WNBA Finals drew a 0.4 overnight on ESPN Sunday night, even with Fever/Lynx Game 1 on ESPN2 last year (0.4).