Baseball Guru
07-11-2001, 07:21 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Midsummer Classic drew TV ratings 9 percent higher than 2000, reversing a trend that has seen All-Star game viewership suffer big declines in the NFL, NBA and NHL.
Fox Sports' broadcast of the American League's 4-1 victory over the NL at Seattle's Safeco Field on Tuesday night produced an 11 rating and 19 share.
Last year's All-Star game, which a host of marquee players missed with injuries, wound up with a 10.1 rating -- the worst since the showcase contest first aired in 1967.
The gathering of baseball's best consistently drew ratings above 20 throughout the 1970s and '80s (each ratings point represents about 1.02 million TV households).
Ratings plummeted this year for the NBA All-Star game (down 26 percent), the NHL All-Star game (down 35 percent) and the NFL Pro Bowl (down 45 percent).
Fans in Seattle watched more than any other market in the country, with a 38.1 rating and whopping 64 share (meaning 64 percent of in-use televisions in the area were tuned in to the game). The tune-in was higher this year than last in 33 of the country's largest 51 markets.
The peak audience was from 10-10:30 p.m. EDT -- which included a special ceremony honoring Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, who will both retire at the end of the season -- when the rating was 12.0. Viewership declined from 10:30 p.m. to the end of the broadcast.
Ripken, playing in his final All-Star game at age 40, hit a home run in the third inning and was selected MVP.
Fox Sports' broadcast of the American League's 4-1 victory over the NL at Seattle's Safeco Field on Tuesday night produced an 11 rating and 19 share.
Last year's All-Star game, which a host of marquee players missed with injuries, wound up with a 10.1 rating -- the worst since the showcase contest first aired in 1967.
The gathering of baseball's best consistently drew ratings above 20 throughout the 1970s and '80s (each ratings point represents about 1.02 million TV households).
Ratings plummeted this year for the NBA All-Star game (down 26 percent), the NHL All-Star game (down 35 percent) and the NFL Pro Bowl (down 45 percent).
Fans in Seattle watched more than any other market in the country, with a 38.1 rating and whopping 64 share (meaning 64 percent of in-use televisions in the area were tuned in to the game). The tune-in was higher this year than last in 33 of the country's largest 51 markets.
The peak audience was from 10-10:30 p.m. EDT -- which included a special ceremony honoring Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, who will both retire at the end of the season -- when the rating was 12.0. Viewership declined from 10:30 p.m. to the end of the broadcast.
Ripken, playing in his final All-Star game at age 40, hit a home run in the third inning and was selected MVP.