Ratings Roundup: 2021 World Series Sees Year-Over-Year Increase; NBA Season Tips Off on ESPN, TNT By SVG Staff
Friday, October 29, 2021 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Ratings roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, first two games of 2021 World Series see an increase, the NBA season tips off on ESPN, and more.
MLB Postseason 10,539,000 viewers watched the Houston Astros beat the Atlanta Braves across Fox, Fox Deportes, and Fox Sports streaming services. The game on Fox averaged 10,280,000 viewers.
The telecast was up 13% over the last year's Game 2 on Fox (9,105,000) and peaked from 8:45 to 9 p.m. ET with 11,753,000 viewers.
The game ranks as the most-watched telecast of the day on any network and was the second most-streamed World Series Game 2 in Fox Sports history with an AMA of 186,741. In local markets, Atlanta saw a 23.3/42 rating and a 27.4/50 in Houston.
In Game 1, 11,077,000 viewers saw the Braves win a road game across Fox, Fox Deportes, and Fox Sports streaming services. The game averaged 10,811,000 viewers on Fox.
The telecast was up 17% over the last year's Game 1 on Fox (9,268,000) and peaked from 9:39 to 9:45 p.m. T with 12,704,000 viewers.
Game 1 ranked as the most-watched telecast of the day on any network and was the most-streamed World Series Game 1 in Fox Sports history with an AMA of 276,619.
Prior to the start of the World Series, 6,175,000 viewers watched the Houston Astros eliminated the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series across FS1, Fox Deportes, and Fox Sports streaming services. The game averaged 5,812,000 viewers on FS1/
This telecast peaked from 10:30 to 10:45 p.m. ET with 6,827,000 viewers and was up 88% through last year's Game 6 of the ALCS.
Overall, TBS scored its most-watched MLB Postseason coverage since 2018. With an average of 4.4 million viewers, the network's viewership is up 95% vs. 2020 and 21% vs. 2019. TBS won the night across cable television 11 times during the MLB Postseason and garnered growth across all key demos and platforms.
Additional highlights from this year's MLB Postseason coverage on TBS include:
Most-Viewed NLCS Game 6 on Any Network in a Half-Decade
Saturday's series-deciding Game 6 telecast between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers is the most-viewed NLCS Game 6 on any network since 2016, averaging 6.9 million viewers - up 99% vs. last year's LCS Game 6 coverage on TBS. The telecast peaked with an average of 9.3 million viewers from 11:30-11:45 p.m. ET.
TBS's exclusive coverage of the Braves' pennant-clinching NLCS Game 6 win is the most-viewed Braves telecast in the Atlanta market on any network since 2005, with an 18.1 HH rating.
TBS's NLCS Coverage Averages More Than Five Million Viewers
TBS's exclusive 2021 NLCS coverage - Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves - is the most-viewed LCS coverage since 2018, with an average of 5.2 million viewers over six games (up 88% vs. 2020's ALCS coverage through six games and up 30% vs. 2019's NLCS four game coverage).
2021 MLB Postseason on TBS Produces Huge Gains Among All Key Demos
The network's 2021 MLB Postseason game telecasts generated a 98% lift in People 18-49 and double-digit increases among all key demos, including a 76% lift among People 18-34 vs. last year.
Standout Performances in Local Markets Throughout the Postseason
NLDS Game 5 coverage between the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants delivered the most watched LDS telecast this postseason and the best NLDS game telecast on TBS since 2017. The telecast set all-time records for an MLB on TBS game telecast in both the San Francisco (21.8 HH rating) and Los Angeles (18.5) markets.
The National League Wild Card game telecast - St. Louis Cardinals vs. Dodgers - on TBS generated a 23.0 HH rating in St. Louis, the best local performance for an MLB game telecast on any network in the market since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
Turner Sports Streaming Platforms Shatter All-Time Records for Consumption
Turner Sports' TV Everywhere platforms produced a record for streaming consumption on digital platforms, including an increase of 186% in minutes streamed vs. the same number of games during the 2019 Postseason, the last time the network carried NL games. This year's Postseason produced each of the top-10, all-time best performing MLB games streamed through Turner Sports' TV Everywhere platforms.
Bleacher Report Connects with Large Audiences Across Social and the App
The 2021 MLB Postseason generated massive engagement and video views for Bleacher Report, with highlights including:
October ranking as B/R Walk-Off's most engaged month since its launch on social platforms with over two million total engagements;
B/R recording five million cross-platform engagements with its MLB-related content, up 43% vs. the comparable time period in 2020;
MLB streams in the B/R App recording 18.9 million page views ( 9% vs. 2020) and nearly 900,000 app engagements ( 91% vs. 2020);
Over 44 million video views on Bleacher Report and Bleacher Report Walk-Off social handles including some of the following content highlights:
A fun studio visit with Major League Wiffleball
A new episode of Untold Stories with Pedro Martinez
The debut of the B/R Walk-Off chain
A notable Charles Barkley prediction
Behind-the-scenes access to series clinching celebrations
NFL Week 7 ESPN's Monday Night Football Week 7 presentation added to the franchise's season milestones and multi-year weekly viewership highs, as an average of 12.9 million viewers tuned in for the New Orleans Saints at the Seattle Seahawks on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes (Oct. 25, 8 p.m. ET). The Seahawks-Saints viewers
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Ratings Roundup: 2021 World Series Sees Year-Over-Year Increase; NBA Season Tips Off on ESPN, TNT By SVG Staff 
