Braves’ local TV ratings continue to move upward
The Braves’ local TV ratings were up slightly in the first half of this season compared with a year ago.
Telecasts on Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast averaged a 3.21 rating in the Atlanta TV market before the All-Star break, a 6% increase from the same point last season, according to Nielsen figures provided by the networks.
The gain builds on a substantial jump in viewership last year, when the Braves emerged from three consecutive 90-loss seasons to win the NL East. The Braves’ local TV ratings increased 51% in the first half of 2018 from the first half of 2017.
The rating is the number of households, out of every 100 in the market, watching a telecast on average. The Braves’ 3.21 rating equals an audience of about 75,000 homes in the Atlanta market.
Braves telecasts during prime time this season have averaged a 3.45 local rating, which Fox Sports South/Southeast said ranks No. 1 in the Atlanta market among cable networks and No. 2 among all networks on nights when the Braves play.
The most-watched Braves game in the first half of the season on the Fox regional networks was a June 25 win over the Chicago Cubs, which delivered a 4.93 rating (about 115,000 homes) in Atlanta.
In addition to the TV audiences, Fox said a growing number of Braves fans are watching games streamed on the Fox Sports Go app, with average streams per game up 97% and average minutes streamed per game up 60% from last year.
About the Author
Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.
