Good morning. This is LEADOFF, an early look at Atlanta sports.
The Braves scored a sweep of sorts over the weekend, winning their TV time slot in the Atlanta market for all three games of the series against the Marlins.
Each game posted a higher local Nielsen rating than any other programming on TV in Atlanta at the same time, according to Fox Sports South.
Friday night’s game drew a 3.4 rating, making it No. 1 in that night’s 7:30 to 10:30 time slot. Saturday’s game drew a 2.7 rating, No. 1 in the 7:00-10:15 p.m. time slot. And Sunday’s game, with a 2.8 rating, was No. 1 in the 1:30 to 4:15 p.m. window.
Based on those ratings, the local TV audience for the games was 82,000 homes Friday, 65,000 homes Saturday and 67,500 Sunday.
The rating for each of the three games was well above the Braves’ average this season.
Overall, Braves games on Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast have averaged a 2.1 rating (51,000 homes) through 107 telecasts this season, up 62 percent from a 1.3 rating (31,000 homes) at the same point last season. Weekend games (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) have averaged a 2.3 rating, up 77 percent.
The rating represents the number of households, out of every 100 in the market, watching a telecast on average.
The Braves’ improved ratings follow several years of sharp viewership declines amid the team’s teardown/rebuild.
READ ON ...
As workers prepare the shiny new Mercedes-Benz Stadium for its opening late this month, a much less glamorous task is under way next door. Inside the Georgia Dome, demolition contractors are dismantling and emptying the Falcons' former home, prepping the 25-year-old building for implosion in November. The Dome looks jarringly different than when fans last filled it. Already, it is a shell of its former self. We got a look inside the under-deconstruction building. See full story here.
Meanwhile, an open house is set at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Falcons and Atlanta United season-ticket holders. See story here.
Suggested video:
About the Author
