Each week, Nielsen Sports’ analysts offer their take on the biggest sports media headlines.
Many in the media were hoping for a Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers World Series match-up, but the fans in Tampa and Philadelphia certainly aren’t complaining. 
In Philadelphia, the fourth largest U.S. TV market, 35.7% of all local households tuned in for the first game of the Series Wednesday night.  Viewership in the city of brotherly love has grown steadily throughout the playoffs.
That upwardly mobile TV ratings trend was also evident in the Tampa Bay market, where local …

The 2001 World Series telecasts (New York Yankees vs. Arizona Diamondbacks) claimed the largest U.S. TV audiences in recent memory: 24.5 million viewers per telecast, on average. 
But the late Seventies and early Eighties remain the true glory days of World Series TV viewership.
The 1980 World Series telecasts — the last time the Philadelphia Phillies won a World Series — drew the largest per game TV audiences on record: almost 54.9 million average viewers.

Game seven of the closely contested American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays drew the largest ever TV audience of any MLB playoff game aired on cable, Nielsen reported Tuesday.  
The game, which aired on TBS Sunday night, drew almost 13.4 million average viewers, easily surpassing game four of last year’s Indians v. Yankees division series, which claimed second place overall with 9.2 million average viewers.
TV viewership of the ALCS games surged after the Red Sox overcame a seven-run deficit in game five to beat the …

Baseball fans across the country might have been a little sleepy Friday morning after watching the Boston Red Sox’ late-night comeback victory against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the MLB American League championship Series.
The game, in which the Red Sox trailed the Rays by seven runs as late as the seventh inning, was a rollercoaster ride for both teams’ fans — as reflected in the preliminary metered market TV ratings, released by Nielsen on Friday.
At the close of the game’s first hour, one-quarter of all Boston households were watching, …

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 …

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 …