powered by FreeFind

Apple iTunes

Archives

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon.-Tues., July 16-17) -- big whiffs on/off field for All-Star game

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Baseball’s big boppers did their thing Tuesday night, both hitting a ton of home runs and striking out a lot in the annual All-Star game.

But the American League’s 10-inning, 8-6 win over the National League was a big dud in the D-FW Nielsen ratings. The game, featuring a combined 10 home runs and 25 strikeouts, again was easily out-hit by NBC’s competing America’s Got Talent before the Peacock’s followup act, World of Dance, also won its time slot.

Running from 7:23 to 10:58 p.m., this year’s All-Star game on Fox averaged 142,442 viewers, down from the 181,778 for 2017’s 2-1, 10-inning AL win. And among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, the All-Stars dipped to a puny 37,447 viewers, compared to last year’s 57,728.

Two years ago, the All-Star game drew 247,884 total viewers and 98,447 in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic for the AL’s 4-2 win. Downslides don’t get much worse in such a short period.

In contrast, America’s Got Talent flexed, amassing 363,227 total viewers from 7 to 9 p.m., with 74,894 of them in the 18-to-49 age range. Those were up from last year’s AGT audience hauls opposite the All-Stars. Summertime’s most potent attraction had 341,742 viewers a year ago, with 64,142 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.

World of Dance also outdrew this year’s All-Star game in the 9 p.m. hour, with 170,930 total viewers and 56,171 within the 18-to-49 realm.

This is very bad news for baseball, at least in this market. If you can’t improve the year-to-year ratings with a slugfest, then what’s left? One more nail in what’s looking like a coffin. Sunday morning’s World Cup Final on Fox and Telemundo pulled in a combined 669,478 total viewers, with 321,421 in the 18-to-49 measurement. That’s well over four times the total viewers drawn by Tuesday night’s All-Star game. And among 18-to-49-year-olds, the World Cup final had close to nine times as many viewers as the All-Stars did.

In Monday’s prime-time Nielsens, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast and ABC’s The Bachelorette tied for the most total viewers with 135,320. ABC’s 9 p.m. episode of The Proposal led among 18-to-49ers with 56,171.

Here are the Monday-Tuesday local news derby results.

Monday -- TEGNA8 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 once again had no trouble sweeping the 6 a.m. competitions and also ran the table at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. spoils went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Tuesday -- NBC5 topped a downsized 10 p.m. race in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 logged twin wins at 6 a.m., but barely held off TEGNA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

The 6 p.m. firsts went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 realm.

At 5 p.m., NBC5 won in total viewers and nipped Fox4 for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net