MLB Media Set High Marks Across TV, Digital Platforms for Division Series Games

MLB Network’s telecast of the 13-inning ALDS Game Two thriller between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians on Friday averaged 3.2 million viewers and peaked with 5.3 million viewers during the final 18 minutes of the game from 10:00-10:18 p.m. ET, marking the network’s second-most watched telecast and highest peak audience in its history. 

The game had a 5:00 p.m. ET start time and overlapped with NLDS Game One between the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals, which began at 7:30 p.m. ET.

New York delivered an 8.2 HH rating with a peak of 12.1 from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET, and Cleveland drew a 15.5 rating and a peak of 21.5 from 10:15-10:30 p.m. ET, covering the final out of the game and the start of postgame coverage, marking MLB Network’s highest local ratings in each market.

MLB Network’s two 2017 ALDS game telecasts led to its second-best combined Postseason game viewership to date, delivering an average of 2.7 million viewers. 2017 marks the sixth consecutive year that MLB Network had exclusive telecasts of two Division Series games.

Across MLB’s digital media platforms, fans utilized the MLB.com At Bat app in record fashion on Friday to follow the four Division Series games. At Bat saw new, single-day records with 12.1 million app starts and 94 million minutes consumed. The previous high marks for At Bat, which has been the top-consumed sports app each of the past five months according to comScore, were 11.2 million app starts and 86 million minutes, set earlier this year in April and July respectively.