NewsTiebreaker game draws big ratings
Tigers, Twins brought in average of 6.54 million viewers
By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com
10/07/09 6:50 PM EST
The Minnesota Twins' scintillating 12-inning win over the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central tiebreaker on Tuesday night produced the kind of drama and ratings worthy of a prime-time soap opera.According to Nielsen Media Research, the TBS broadcast was seen by an average audience of 6.54 million viewers, which marks a 57-percent increase over last year's tiebreaker between the Twins and Chicago White Sox. Of the six tiebreakers that have been played in the Wild Card era, only the 1998 game between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants delivered a larger network audience.
The game between the Twins and Tigers on TBS ranked as the most-watched telecast of the day in all of cable television in households, viewers and key demographics, including men ages 18-34, 18-49, 24-43 and adults 18-49 and 25-54.
The 6.54 million viewers drawn for Tuesday's game is TBS's most-viewed telecast of any kind since the conclusion of last year's American League Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. Viewership for the game grew through the night and peaked at 11.4 million from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET, as the Twins scored the game-winning run in the bottom the 12th inning.
Locally, Tuesday's game drew a rating of 27.1 in Minneapolis, which marked a 56-percent increase from last year's tiebreaker featuring the Twins. In Detroit, the game registered a 24.6 rating.
The game registered a 4.2 rating nationally and a 4.8 rating within TBS's coverage area.
Brian McTaggart is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
