Wednesday's 2016 MLB NL Wild Card Game telecast on is the second-most watched Major League Baseball game on ESPN in 13 years, according Nielsen. Across ESPN and ESPN Deportes, the game generated a total live average audience of 7,711,000 viewers (television streaming). The San Francisco Giants' victory over the New York Mets delivered a 4.5 final rating and 7.42 million average viewers on ESPN (down 10% in ratings and 11% in viewership from 5.0 and 8.3 million for Cubs/Pirates on TBS last year).
It was the third-highest rating and viewership for an MLB Wild Card Game (10 telecasts dating back to 2012), according the SportsMediaWatch. The game peaked with nearly 9.2 million average viewers (9,198,000) from 11-11:15 p.m. ET. ESPN won the night across broadcast and cable in all key male demos for Wednesday, October 5. The game drew an average audience of 116,000 Hispanic viewers on ESPN Deportes.
The Giants-Mets game also delivered ESPN its largest streaming audience ever for an MLB event. It set several records, including 35,977,000 total minutes streamed, 634,400 unique viewers and an average minute audience of 173,800 viewers
On Tuesday (Oct. 4), the AL Wild Card Game was Sportsnet's most-watched program to date in 2016, with an average audience of 4.02 million viewers (2 ) tuning in to see Toronto beat Baltimore, 5-2. The game was Sportsnet's fifth most-watched broadcast of all time, trailing only 2015 ALCS Game 6 (Toronto @ Kansas City) with 5.12 million, 2015 ALDS Game 5 (Texas @ Toronto) with 4.88 million, 2015 ALDS Game 4 (Toronto @ Texas) with 4.38 million, and 2015 ALDS Game 3 (Toronto @ Texas) with 4.2 million. Overall, more than 9 million Canadians watched some part of last night's broadcast. Audience levels peaked at 5.38 million at 10:54 p.m. ET in the bottom of the ninth inning with none out, two runners on base and Jose Bautista at the plate.
Following the game, an average audience of 1.04 million viewers watched Sportsnet Central's hour-long post-game coverage - delivering the most-watched Sportsnet Central to date in 2016.
NESN's Red Sox average household rating increased 28% in 2016, averaging a 6.4 in the Boston DMA. In the Boston DMA, NESN averaged 563,000 viewers per game and totaled 2,378,000 unduplicated 2016 Viewers (Total number of people that watched during 2016 season). In New England (all six New England states except for Fairfield Country, CT) averaged 953,000 viewers per game and 4,027,000 unduplicated 2016 viewers
NBC Sports Group's comprehensive coverage of the U.S. Team's decisive 17-11 victory at the 2016 Ryder Cup concluded Sunday on NBC with 4.3 million average viewers and a 2.72 U.S. household rating (Noon-6 p.m. ET) according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. For average viewers, the 2016 Ryder Cup Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club outside Minneapolis was 95% vs. 2014 at Gleneagles in Scotland (7 a.m. - 12:40 p.m. ET); -22% vs. 2012 at Medinah outside Chicago (Noon-6:33 p.m. ET); and 2% vs. 2008 at Valhalla outside Louisville (12:30-6:07 p.m. ET), the last time the United States won the Ryder Cup.
Viewership on Sunday peaked with 6.4 Million average viewers from 5-5:15 p.m. ET as Ryan Moore clinched the winning point in Match 7 of 12 at approximately 5:12 p.m. ET, 45 minutes before the conclusion of coverage. In comparison, 2012 at Medinah peaked between 6-6:15 p.m. ET as Europe's Martin Kaymer capped one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history by winning the 11th match of 12 to win 14 13 .
Across all three days, the 2016 Ryder Cup totaled 35.1 million live minutes, 487,000 unique devices, and an average minute audience of 22,000 across all digital platforms. The average minute audience of 22,000 users ranks as the highest for any NBC and Golf Channel event on record (NBC's inaugural coverage of The Open had an average minute audience of 18,000).
Golf Channel's Live From the Ryder Cup on Sunday evening following play posted a .31 overnight rating (6-9:15 p.m. ET), 121% vs. 2014 at Gleneagles and 82% vs. 2012 at Medinah. On Friday with Day 1 of the Ryder Cup, Golf Channel posted its most-watched day in history, since the network was founded by Arnold Palmer more than 21 years ago, with 673,000 average viewers. Golf Channel was the No. 1 cable sports network by 319% in Total Day. Golf Channel's coverage posted 1.3 million average viewers per minute and a 0.94 U.S. HH rating across the nearly 11 hours of coverage. Golf Channel ranked as the No. 2 cable network during coverage (8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET). Full day coverage of Day 1 on Golf Channel was 30% vs. cable coverage Friday at the 2016 U.S. Open on FS1 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET; 999,000 average viewers, 0.73 U.S. HH rating). Golf Channel's coverage of the afternoon session (1:30-6:56 p.m. ET, 1.5 million average viewers) was 13% vs. Friday at 2016 PGA Championship on TNT (1-7:30 p.m. ET; 1.320 million average viewers, 0.95 U.S. HH rating)
Through college football's first five weeks, ABC's Saturday Night Football is averaging a total live audience (TV Streaming) of 6,201,000 viewers, the most-watched college football franchise on any network. The television audience is averaging 6,100,000 viewers a game, 28% better than the next best window on any other network and up 3% from the first five weeks of ABC's Saturday Night Football last season. The franchise's streaming audience has garnered 101,000 average minute viewers per game, up 84% year over year. Accounting for all ABC games (16 games), the network's total live audience is 5,760,000 viewers per game, college football's most-watched network. The television audience (5,659,000 viewers) and streaming audience (101,000 viewers) is up 16% and 90%, respectively, year over year.
In week 5, ABC's Saturday Night Football featured the season&#
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Wednesday's 2016 MLB NL Wild Card Game telecast on is the second-most watched Major League Baseball game on ESPN in 13 years, according Nielsen. Across ESPN and ESPN Deportes, the game generated a total live average audience of 7,711,000 viewers (television streaming). The San Francisco Giants' victory over the New York Mets delivered a 4.5 final rating and 7.42 million average viewers on ESPN (down 10% in ratings and 11% in viewership from 5.0 and 8.3 million for Cubs/Pirates on TBS last year).
