1 / 4. Starting with the advent of night games on broadcast television, Major League Baseball had games air at 8:30pm ET. Houston is one of the most hated teams in baseball and the Braves have a smaller market size than Los Angeles. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to postpone the start of the season. "I think the reason it matters is, in the end, this is an advertiser-supported business," Mulvihill said. 92013 -- No. ESPN Sunday Night Baseball averaged 1.601 million viewers, an increase of +2% . Its why Im a baseball fan and kids arent into baseball because they have to go to bed earlier.. Creative Employee Appreciation Week Ideas, Cyber Security KPIs: Guide & Explanation 2023, Conversion KPIs: Guide & Explanation 2023, Subscription KPIs: Guide & Explanation 2023, Sales Manager KPIs: Guide & Explanation 2023, Supply Chain Management KPIs: Guide & Explanation 2023, Non Financial KPIs: Guide & Explanation 2023, Problem Management KPIs: Guide & Explanation 2023. Thus far, Game 5 has had the largest average audience at 13.993 million. James Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content, ESPN+ to Stream 31 Major League Baseball Games in May, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians on ESPN Game 1, Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals on ABC Game 1, Seattle Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays on ESPN Game 1, San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets on ESPN Game 1, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians on ESPN2 Game 2, Seattle Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays on ESPN Game 2, San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets on ESPN Game 2, Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals on ESPN2 Game 2, San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets Game 3. Tap here for the hottest headlines breaking right now, currently being tested in the Atlantic League. Game 1 of the World Series drew 10.81 million viewers and a 6.1 rating. It was a slight bump from Game 2 and the most-watched World Series Game 4 since 2018 (Boston Red Sox-Los Angeles Dodgers, 13.56 million). Home Run! Viewership for ESPN's Exclusive Coverage of 2022 MLB Wild In 2008, MLB local broadcasts averaged a 3.95 household rating, compared to a 2.83 rating in 2019. And NBC was one of the three-channel options all of America had at their disposal over the air. This is an encouraging sign for the future of the franchise, and it speaks to the strength of the MLBs viewership numbers overall. We see larger commitments. This works out at $90m a season, meaning MLS. Bally Sports, which is owned by Diamond Sports Group, a partnership between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Byron Allens Entertainment Studios, has been unable to reach distribution with OTT providers such as Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and Dish, a key factor in some of the drop.