or


[10/02/14 - 08:06 AM]
NL Wild Card Game Up 21 Percent with Strong 4.1 Overnight Rating
ESPN spins the numbers for Wednesday, October 1.
[via press release from ESPN]

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.





  [october 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[07/01/25 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Week of June 23: "Squid Game" Season 3 Takes Over with Record-Breaking Global Debut at No. 1
"The Waterfront" was a Top 10 hit once more as the No. 1 series on the English TV list (11.6 million views).

[07/01/25 - 10:26 AM]
ESPN Formula 1 Viewership Notes After Austrian Grand Prix
ESPN's live telecast on Sunday, June 29, averaged 1.1 million viewers, a two percent gain over last year's race and the largest audience ever for the event on U.S. television.
[07/01/25 - 09:16 AM]
ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" Featuring the Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers Averaged 2 Million Viewers - Up 66% from Last Year's Comparable Game
The audience peaked with 2,304,000 viewers in the 9:15 p.m. ET quarter hour.
[06/27/25 - 02:29 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Gears Up for Summer Rising Week to Week in All Key Measures
Wednesday, June 11, was the most-viewed day of the week among Total Viewers (2.164 million).
[06/27/25 - 10:31 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Tops Late-Night in Adults 18-49 for Third Week in a Row
Winning three of five nights in Kimmel's final week before summer guest hosts, Thursday, June 19, was the show's strongest night among Adults 18-49 (0.35 rating).
[06/25/25 - 11:55 AM]
Prime Video Finishes Groundbreaking First Season of Exclusive NASCAR Coverage
According to Nielsen, NASCAR on Prime posted a season average of 2.16 million viewers (AMA P2+) across five events, and attracted droves of younger viewers to its live coverage.

[06/25/25 - 07:58 AM]
ABC News Primetime Special "Karen Read: The Verdict - A Special Edition of 20/20" Ranks #1 Across All of Broadcast and Cable in Adults 18-49
Plus: "Karen Read: The Verdict" placed No. 1 based on views among all titles on Hulu on Thursday (6/19), Friday (6/20) and Saturday (6/21).
[06/24/25 - 03:03 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Target Demos 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" for 2nd Consecutive Week, and Claims Top Spot in Total Viewers for the 5th Straight Week
On Monday (6/16/25), "Nightline" scored its most-watched telecast (1.112 million) in 5 months.
[06/24/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 16: "Tyler Perry's Straw" Leads Top 10 for Third Week, "The Waterfront" Swims to No. 1
Plus: "Ginny & Georgia" Season 3 racked up another 8.1 million views and felt peachy keen at No. 2, while Season 2 landed at No. 8 and Season 1 at No. 10, with an additional 2.7 million views each.
[06/24/25 - 08:42 AM]
Third Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever on ESPN: Indiana Fever vs Las Vegas Aces Averaged 1.7 Million Viewers, Up 52% from Last Year's ESPN Average
Said coverage peaked at 2.2 million viewers.
[06/23/25 - 12:09 PM]
Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 7 on ABC and ESPN+ Is Most-Watched NBA Finals Game in Six Years
The seven-game series averaged 10,266,000 viewers and delivered the seven most-watched broadcasts on all of television since the first week of May.

[06/18/25 - 09:01 AM]
Murder Mystery May Drives Acorn TV to the Most Successful Month In Its History
Total hours watched surpassed 20 million for the first time in Acorn TV history, with unique engaged subscribers also achieving an all-time high, up double digits from the streamer's average over the past 12 months.
[06/17/25 - 03:03 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
On Wednesday, "Nightline" scored its most-watched telecast (1.049 million) in 5 months and strongest delivery in Adults 25-54 (404,000) in 1 year.
[06/17/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 9: "Tyler Perry's Straw" Has Biggest Week for a Film in 2025
"Ginny & Georgia's" third season maintained its No. 1 spot on the English TV List with 16.9 million views, as fans saw their favorite characters pushed "to the limit."

[06/17/25 - 07:27 AM]
ESPN Delivered Third Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever on ABC: New York Liberty Vs Indiana Fever Averaged 2.2 Million Viewers, Up 76% from Last Year's ABC Average
Said coverage peaked at 2.8 million viewers.