A.L. Central Tiebreaker Is Most-Viewed Play-In Game Since 1998

A.L. CENTRAL TIEBREAKER IS MOST-VIEWED PLAY-IN GAME SINCE 1998

Twins-Tigers on TBS Averages 6.54 Million Viewers

NEW YORK – Last night’s thrilling 12-inning A.L. Central Tiebreaker Game between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers on TBS (5:00-10:00 pm) marked the largest national network audience for a postseason play-in game since 1998 delivering an average audience of 6.54 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.    Of the six one-game postseason play-in games that have taken place during the Wildcard era, only the 1998 contest between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants delivered a larger network audience than last night’s broadcast on TBS.

Last night’s average audience of 6.54 million viewers marks a 57% increase over last year’s tiebreaker between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox, which averaged 4.16 million viewers while airing from 7:30-10:08pm on a Tuesday night on TBS.

Last night’s MLB coverage on TBS registered 4.2/8 U.S. HH rating and share and a 4.8 HH rating within TBS’s coverage area.

Last night’s A.L. Central Tiebreaker on TBS ranked as the most-watched telecast of the day in all of cable television in households, viewers, and key demographics including Men 18-34, Men 18-49, Men 25-54, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.  Twins-Tigers led TBS to be the most viewed cable network of the day on both a primetime (8:00-11:00pm) and total-day basis among households, viewers and all of the demographics above, as well as among Adults 18-34.  The 6.54 million viewers drawn for last night’s game stands as TBS’s most-viewed telecast of any kind since the conclusion of last year’s ALCS between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.

Viewership for the game grew throughout the broadcast, peaking at 11.4 million viewers from 9:30-9:45pm as the Twins scored the game winning run in the bottom of the 12^th inning.

Locally, last night’s game drew a 27.1/44 HH rating and share in Minneapolis, marking a +56% increase over the 17.4/28 the market drew for the 2008 tiebreaker featuring the Twins.  In Detroit last night’s game registered a 24.6/38.

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