Fueled by a big increase for Game 2 on ABC, the Men’s College World Series Final finished just shy of last year’s ESPN-era high.
The three-game Tennessee-Texas A&M Men’s College World Series Final averaged 2.82 million viewers on the ESPN networks, marking the second-most watched MCWS Final in the ESPN era and down 1% from the record-setting LSU-Florida series last year (2.86M).
Monday’s winner-take-all Game 3 averaged 3.34 million opposite Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the second-largest audience for an MCWS game on the ESPN networks — but down 7% from last year’s 3.59 million.
The Volunteers’ win delivered the largest baseball or softball audience on television this year, surpassing the previous high of 2.91 million for a regional MLB window on FOX that featured Dodgers-Yankees in most markets.
Game 2 on ABC — the first MCWS game on broadcast television in years — averaged 2.92 million, up a third from last year (2.20M) and the highest for a Game 2 on the ESPN networks. It also ranks second among baseball or softball games this year.
Game 1 averaged 2.26 million on ESPN Saturday night, down 12% from last year (2.58M).
All viewership figures include simulcast coverage on ESPNU.
The full Men’s College World Series averaged 1.56 million, down from last year’s 1.65 million. The MCWS Final outdrew the two-game Oklahoma-Texas Women’s College World Series earlier this month (1.98M) and the full MCWS topped the full WCWS (1.1M).
Hey Jon are you going to post the numbers for all the sports shows from last week ?
By my math Monday night had 12 MLB games with 23 US teams on 11 Diamond/Bally’s networks. With MLB broadcasts typically being top one or two in primetime in their markets, I wonder if we’re seeing displaced local MLB team viewers with Comcast making their presence felt on some of these strong numbers for non-MLB properties.
Jon, do you have any final numbers on the Olympic trials on NBC from the weekend/early this week? Hearing they had some very good viewership numbers.
Yes, will write something hopefully today.
Sports overall outside of the NBA seems up from previous years. Seems like people are watching sports at a high-rate right now. I’m sure the Olympics will be way up later this summer as well for NBC.
3.3 million on ESPN cable TV opposite a historic Stanley Cup finals game 7 on ABC network is an incredible number!
I don’t know about the historical ratings, but from personal anecdote, it feels like College Baseball is now way more popular than it was in the 1990s or 2000s. That, combined with the fact that MLB national ratings have slipped in the past two decades, means College Baseball is now as close to popularity with professional baseball as it has ever been.
I wonder what’s behind the surge in popularity of College Baseball (and Softball too) in recent times.
College World Series on ABC is a winner.
College World Series on ABC is the most watched TV ever.