Steep Declines For MLB Opening Day on ESPN

[edjr 5,564]

Quote

 

ESPN’s MLB Opening Day tripleheader struck out in the ratings.

Thursday’s Red Sox-Mariners Major League Baseball Opening Night game scored a 0.8 rating and 1.19 million viewers on ESPN, down a third in ratings and 40% in viewership from last year (Giants-Dodgers: 1.2, 1.97M), and down 62% and 60% respectively from Cubs-Cardinals in 2017, which aired in the Sunday Night Baseball window (2.1, 3.62M).

The Mariners’ win ranks as the lowest rated MLB Opening Night game since at least 2000. The previous low was a 1.1 for Indians-Angels in 2001. It was also the least-watched Opening Night game since at least 2007.

Keep in mind the game aired directly opposite the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, while previous openers avoided such competition.

Earlier in the day, ESPN scored 704,000 viewers for Orioles-Yankees and 538,000 for Diamondbacks-Dodgers — down 11% and 35% respectively from last year’s comparable games, Cubs-Marlins (789K) and Astros-Rangers (823K). Both games were subject to local blackout.

In other Opening Day action, Braves-Phillies scored a 10.1 rating on Philadelphia NBC affiliate WCAU — up 105% from the team’s opener last season. The game marked Bryce Harper‘s Phillies debut. ESPN Plus aired the game nationally, but traditional ratings figures are not available for that over-the-top service.

[Numbers from Nielsen via Programming Insider 3.29, ShowBuzz Daily 3.29, Philadelphia Business Journal 3.29]

 

 

Do I hear taps playing in the background? Good thing they keep shelling out these 300+ million dollar deals

[Hardcore troubadour 12,646]

Jessica does not help. 

[edjr 5,564]

3 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Jessica does not help. 

Didn't the mets hire her?

[Mike Honcho 4,034]

Might have something to do with breaking the 2nd rule of baseball - There is no baseball in March.

 

The first rule of course being 'There's no crying in baseball'.

[posty 2,296]

6 minutes ago, edjr said:

Didn't the mets hire her?

Yes they did...

[Drizzay 645]

I don't know how ESPN makes money, between their pitiful football coverage and this.  They lost all their good baseball guys to MLB Network.  Those guys definitely were right to jump ship.

[nzoner 936]

Pic from the 2nd game of 2019 Marlins

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D23IuHWWsAo_pfz.jpg:large

[supermike80 1,285]

Were they kneeling or something?

[Hardcore troubadour 12,646]

6 minutes ago, Drizzay said:

I don't know how ESPN makes money, between their pitiful football coverage and this.  They lost all their good baseball guys to MLB Network.  Those guys definitely were right to jump ship.

Because you pay for it whether you want it or not. If cable or satellite were ala carte they would be out of business in a half hour. 

[Mike Honcho 4,034]

7 minutes ago, nzoner said:

Pic from the 2nd game of 2019 Marlins

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D23IuHWWsAo_pfz.jpg:large

Was it ARod Appreciation Day?

[Cruzer 1,992]

3 minutes ago, supermike80 said:

Were they kneeling or something?

No - people just turned away when they found out it was baseball.  

[edjr 5,564]

9 minutes ago, nzoner said:

Pic from the 2nd game of 2019 Marlins

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D23IuHWWsAo_pfz.jpg:large

That's their new stadium?  my 1st time seeing it. And apparently everyone else in the world

[MTSkiBum 1,594]

When does the MLB season start this year? In 1-2 weeks?

[Cruzer 1,992]

4 minutes ago, edjr said:

That's their new stadium?  my 1st time seeing it. And apparently everyone else in the world

The taxpayers of Arlington (here) should take a good look at this. The got hoodwinked into believing air conditioning puts butts in seats...

[edjr 5,564]

3 minutes ago, Cruzer said:

The taxpayers of Arlington (here) should take a good look at this. The got hoodwinked into believing air conditioning puts butts in seats...

Just win baby.  rainy and 40 or 100 and muggy., they will show

[Mookz 1,287]

People must not realize they limited the number of mound visits. 

[Cruzer 1,992]

3 minutes ago, edjr said:

Just win baby.  rainy and 40 or 100 and muggy., they will show

Yep - been arguing that since they agreed to hand over $500m to the Rangers.

Even back in our WS heydays ('10, '11) we peaked at 10th in attendance - that's as good as we'll ever do, period......... The rest of the time we swim around 15 or so. All the a/c in the world is never gonna make this a baseball town. We will never draw better than the NY, Boston, SF, LA, Chicago, STL, etc.. of the world. Playing baseball in Texas, indoors - is embarrassing.

[lickin_starfish 1,480]

Maybe it's because baseball is boring as fukc to watch, and each team plays 2,149 games each season.

[MDC 5,891]

30 minutes ago, supermike80 said:

Were they kneeling or something?

Must have been. That’s why ratings go down.

[posty 2,296]

6 minutes ago, lickin_starfish said:

Maybe it's because baseball is boring as fukc to watch, and each team plays 2,149 games each season.

:reported:

[Hardcore troubadour 12,646]

Here a nutty idea: How about in the beginning of the year you play as many games in warm weather/ dome as possible? 

[posty 2,296]

Maybe they should quit trying to mess around with the best sport on the planet with all of the potential rule changes...

[edjr 5,564]

15 minutes ago, posty said:

Maybe they should quit trying to mess around with the best sport on the planet with all of the potential rule changes...

 

you and that other guy will be the only person left watching

[dain11279 928]

1 hour ago, lickin_starfish said:

Maybe it's because baseball is boring as fukc to watch, and each team plays 2,149 games each season.

This

[Cruzer 1,992]

3 pitching  (1 batter) changes in 1 inning, 24 warm up pitches in between........that's exciting shiiit!

[posty 2,296]

1 hour ago, edjr said:

 

you and that other guy will be the only person left watching

Cool...  Be easy to get great seats then...

[DonS 3,067]

It's a shame more people didn't witness the offensive juggernaut that is the 2019 Seattle Mariners!!!

[listen2me 23 1,542]

4 hours ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Because you pay for it whether you want it or not. If cable or satellite were ala carte they would be out of business in a half hour. 

Direct TV and the like seem to be in trouble and may be a thing of the past soon enough.

People are getting rid of it at a fast rate. The UFC didnt care to re up with Direct for their PPVs.  Instead you pay through the espn+ app now.  

I have read that the NFL is considering not giving direct tv the exclusive right anymore.

With no sunday ticket, direct tv with die off or turn into dish tv overnight.  

I am at 8 months with no direct tv and I dont miss it.  Never considered going back.

[bandrus1 413]

Idk why anybody would pay for sports via cable... You can stream every game via Reddit nightly and watch the red zone channel 

[listen2me 23 1,542]

24 minutes ago, bandrus1 said:

Idk why anybody would pay for sports via cable... You can stream every game via Reddit nightly and watch the red zone channel 

Yeah.  And I am just not a show guy.  Last summer I realized how little I watch TV.  I would turn it on just to feel like I was using it.   When it came time to do the ol song and dance I just said forget it.  

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

1 hour ago, bandrus1 said:

Idk why anybody would pay for sports via cable... You can stream every game via Reddit nightly and watch the red zone channel 

I don't miss cable at all. I pay for netflix for convenience. Pirate everything they don't have. Stream the rare game I want to watch. 

[RaiderHaters Revenge 3,584]

I stream every game I want

I dont have a cable/directv thing and havent for 5 years now

 

[JustinCharge 2,397]

Attendance slowly rose for decades up until about 10 years ago when it did begin a very slight decline:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/misc.shtml

Looking around at individual franchises, these are the teams that have seen a big drop in attendance in the past 10-15 years:

Orioles (dropping for years, lowest average attendance last year since 1981)

Reds (dropping for years, lowest average attendance last year since 1984)

Rays (lowest average attendance since 2003)

Yankees (this one is surprising but their average attendance peaked in 2005-2008, went way down after that, still leads the league, but way down by like 10,000 a game.  Looking into it further, they've actually started to shrink the seating capacity to compensate)

White Sox (also dropping for years, worst attendance since 1999)

 

One other thing I learned was there is a HUGE following for the Angels.  Angels pack their stadium year in and year out.  They've been 2nd or 3rd in attendance for most of the past 20 years, trailing the Yankees.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

53 minutes ago, riversco said:

Attendance slowly rose for decades up until about 10 years ago when it did begin a very slight decline:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/misc.shtml

Looking around at individual franchises, these are the teams that have seen a big drop in attendance in the past 10-15 years:

Orioles (dropping for years, lowest average attendance last year since 1981)

Reds (dropping for years, lowest average attendance last year since 1984)

Rays (lowest average attendance since 2003)

Yankees (this one is surprising but their average attendance peaked in 2005-2008, went way down after that, still leads the league, but way down by like 10,000 a game.  Looking into it further, they've actually started to shrink the seating capacity to compensate)

White Sox (also dropping for years, worst attendance since 1999)

 

One other thing I learned was there is a HUGE following for the Angels.  Angels pack their stadium year in and year out.  They've been 2nd or 3rd in attendance for most of the past 20 years, trailing the Yankees.

I lived in St Petersburg in 2003. People were giving away Ray's tickets right and left. One of out professors would give a set out a couple of times a week.

Unless the Yankees were in town. Then people wanted them. 

[RLLD 3,455]

If baseball were to cease to exist I would be just fine with that, in fact, I would be delighted.   And then all those whiney players can bag groceries for me

[edjr 5,564]

12 hours ago, bandrus1 said:

Idk why anybody would pay for sports via cable... You can stream every game via Reddit nightly and watch the red zone channel 

After Game of thrones is done, I am done with cable. I have it all set up to go without.  

[TBayXXXVII 2,117]

2 hours ago, Ray Lewis's Limo Driver said:

If baseball were to cease to exist I would be just fine with that, in fact, I would be delighted.   And then all those whiney players can bag groceries for me

That can be said about every sport.

[TBayXXXVII 2,117]

I love baseball, but I won't watch ESPN.  I buy the MLB.tv package.

[MDC 5,891]

2 hours ago, Ray Lewis's Limo Driver said:

If baseball were to cease to exist I would be just fine with that, in fact, I would be delighted.   And then all those whiney players can bag groceries for me

You should be more pissed at the owners. The players are just selling their services for what they’re worth. The owners are raking in $ under the new TV deal and at least half or them aren’t even trying to field a competitive team. 

[RLLD 3,455]

1 minute ago, TBayXXXVII said:

That can be said about every sport.

It could indeed, but I place the MLB players union at a much lower place in terms of disgust....