The combined overall household rating for Wednesday night’s final presidential debate, in the top 56 local television markets where Nielsen maintains electronic TV meters, was 38.3. 
In comparison, last week’s debate between Senators McCain and Obama — the candidates’ second – received a 42.0 household rating in the top 55 local TV markets.  The candidates’ first debate on September 26 received a 34.7 household rating in the top 55 markets.
Wednesday night’s championship baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies — aired by FOX, instead of the debate – may have impacted the …

Tracking viewership for the first four games of the National League Championship between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers alongside the first three of the American League Championship between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays, the NL games are averaging a greater audience. So far, the Game 3 matchup between the Phillies and Dodgers has the peak viewership for the playoffs with an average audience of 8.8 million viewers.

Game
Network
Date
Viewers P2+

LA DODGERS AT PHILADELPHIA
FOX
10/09/2008
7,735,000

LA DODGERS AT PHILADELPHIA
FOX
10/10/2008
5,022,000

PHILADELPHIA AT LA DODGERS
FOX
10/12/2008
8,837,000

PHILADELPHIA AT LA DODGERS
FOX
10/13/2008
7,705,000

BOSTON RED SOX AT …

Each week, Nielsen Sports’ analysts offer their take on the biggest sports media headlines.
Angels/Red Sox Match-Up Tops Division Series TV Ratings
The third game of the Los Angeles Angels v. Boston Red Sox drew the largest television audience of the division series: 6.2 million viewers.  The three other games in that contentious series also made the top ten — with average TV audiences of approximately 5.7 million (game four), 5.3 million (game two), and 4.4 million viewers (game one), respectively.
After the jump, view complete national ratings from the division series games, aired …

In the game one matchups for the National League and American League division playoffs, the Chicago Cubs v. Los Angeles Dodgers game drew the largest TV audience: nearly 5.4 million viewers.

Game
Network
Viewers P2+

CUBS- DODGERS
TBSC
5,381,000

RED SOX-ANGELS
TBSC
4,442,000

BREWERS-PHILLIES
TBSC
2,764,000

WHITE SOX-RAYS
TBSC
2,610,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (October 3, 2008).

This week begins Major League Baseball playoffs in the National League (Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs) and American League (Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays).
Historically, at least where league championship series are involved, ratings have been significantly higher when teams from major markets, such as Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles, are involved. A breakdown of those matchups will be featured prior to the upcoming NL and AL championship series.
Below are historical ratings since 2000 …