Baseball Playoffs Ratings Boon For TBS

Baseball Playoffs Ratings Boon For TBS

October baseball propelled TBS to the top of the cable food chain last week, as the first round of Major League Baseball's division series helped the Turner network amass an average nightly audience of 4.71 million viewers.

TBS swept all three major demos, averaging 2.27 million adults 25-54, 2.15 million viewers 18-49 and 950,000 18-34s, according to Nielsen Media Research data for the week ended Oct. 5.

In a week dominated by sports and politics, TBS served up its largest audience on Sunday night, delivering 6.2 million viewers with Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Red Sox and Angels. A pinch-hit single by shortstop Erick Aybar in the top of the 12th inning secured a 5-4 victory for the Angels, in a game that delivered clutch demo numbers (3.02 million 25-54s; 2.76 million 18-49s).

In Chicago, Game 1 of the Dodgers-Cubs series lured 5.38 million viewers between 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. (Oct. 1). In what would mark the beginning of the end of the Cubbies' 2008 campaign, the Dodgers ran away with the series opener, 7-2, as a national TV audience of 2.5 million 25-54s and 2.49 million 18-49s looked on.

TBS not only beat out its cable competition last week, but it also out-delivered ABC in prime in two key sports demos (men 18-49 and men 25-54). The network's postseason baseball coverage continues this Friday (Oct. 10), with Game 1 of the AL Championship.

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