NL Wild Card Game Up 21 Percent with Strong 4.1 Overnight Rating

ESPN's Inaugural MLB Wild Card Game Telecast Matched Highest-Rated Ever

ESPN's inaugural MLB Wild Card Game telecast, in which the San Francisco Giants soundly defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-0, delivered a strong 4.1 overnight rating on ESPN, according to Nielsen. The rating is up 21 percent versus the 2013 NL Wild Card Game, also involving the Pittsburgh Pirates (versus the Cincinnati Reds). Last night's telecast peaked between 9-9:15 p.m. ET with a 4.9 rating.

The 4.1 overnight rating matched the highest-rated MLB Wild Card Game telecast ever. The 2012 AL Wild Card Game - Baltimore versus Texas - also delivered a 4.1.

Local records

The NL Wild Card Game set local market records in both Pittsburgh and San Francisco. In Pittsburgh, the telecast delivered a 22.6 rating, the highest for an MLB game ever on ESPN. In San Francisco, the game posted a 13.3, also ranking as the highest ever for an MLB game on ESPN.

ESPN SCORES MOST-VIEWED AND HIGHEST-RATED MLB WILD CARD GAME EVER

Viewership up 22 Percent From Last Year's NL Game; Record Numbers Also for WatchESPN

ESPN's telecast of San Francisco at Pittsburgh Wednesday night was the most-watched and highest-rated MLB Wild Card Game across any network ever. ESPN's inaugural MLB Wild Card Game, which featured the Giants defeating the Pirates 8-0, was seen by a record 5,591,000 viewers and delivered a record 3.6 rating, according to fast nationals from Nielsen. The figures represent a 22 percent increase in viewership and a 20 percent increase in ratings compared to the 2013 NL Wild Card Game, also involving the Pittsburgh Pirates (versus the Cincinnati Reds).

WatchESPN sets MLB record

The Giants-Pirates game was also the most-viewed MLB game ever on WatchESPN with more than 9.9 million total minutes viewed and an average minute audience of 48,589. Those figures are 126 percent higher for total minutes and 156 percent higher for average minute audience than the previous WatchESPN record.

Local records

The NL Wild Card Game set local market records in both Pittsburgh and San Francisco. In Pittsburgh, the telecast delivered a 22.6 rating, the highest for an MLB game ever on ESPN. In San Francisco, the game posted a 13.3, also ranking as the highest ever for an MLB game on ESPN.