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 for Division Series Playoffs. Numbers from 2007 division games broadcast on TNT and TBS are combined average viewership for both National and American leagues. The 13 games broadcast on TBS drew an average of 5.7 million viewers, while the four games picked up by TNT drew an average of 1.6 million viewers.
NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
| Year | Network | Avg. Number Of Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | TBS (13 games) | 4,243,000 |
| 2007 | TNT (4 games) | 1,225,000 |
| 2006 | FOX | 6,752,000 |
| 2005 | FOX | 7,013,000 |
| 2004 | FOX | 7,868,000 |
| 2003 | FOX | 11,403,000 |
| 2002 | FOX | 8,854,000 |
| 2001 | FOX | 6,272,000 |
| 2000 | FOX | 6,208,000 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
| Year | Network | Avg. Number Of Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | FOX | 7,548,000 |
| 2005 | FOX | 11,851,000 |
| 2004 | FOX | 7,749,000 |
| 2003 | FOX | 10,879,000 |
| 2002 | FOX | 9,337,000 |
| 2001 | FOX | 7,618,000 |
| 2000 | FOX/NBC | 7,003,000 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
