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Red Sox Ratings On NESN Down 35.8% From 2009

July 26, 2010 By

In an article from Sports Business Journal, John Ourand reports that the Red Sox TV ratings on NESN are down almost 36% from last season.

Red Sox lose RSN ratings lead

The Red Sox are still 5th overall in MLB in terms of local ratings, averaging a 6.52 per game on NESN.

Ourand has the following to say about the Red Sox decline, and notes that it crosses over to the radio side as well:

In Boston, the declining TV numbers are not the only evidence that suggests Red Sox Nation is more apathetic about this year’s team than in years past. Despite the fact that the team just had its 600th straight sellout at Fenway Park, the lack of the traditional enthusiasm around the local nine this year extends to the team’s radio broadcasts, too. For the first half of the season, Red Sox games on WEEI-AM were down 16.5 percent, to 107,500 listeners. The coveted male 25- to 54-year-old demographic was down 28 percent, posting a 10.2 average. It should be noted that the Celtics’ run in this year’s NBA playoffs required the relocation of 20 Red Sox broadcasts this spring from flagship WEEI-AM to WRKO-AM.

St. Louis has taken over the top spot, averaging a 9.70 on Fox Sports Midwest. The Red Sox have been at the top of this list every season since 2004.

Filed Under: NESN, WEEI
  • Norwood Zip

    I find it hard to watch the games. Maybe, it's my advancing years.

    But a 3 1/2-4 hour commitment per night is just not there anymore.

    Between the non-stop barrage of Amica Pitch Zones, FW Webb Pipe Cleaners, RemDawg promotional vehicles, Dennis Leary and Lenny Clarke yucking it up in the booth and what seems like 30-45 seconds between pitches (1. Step out of box. 2. Spit. 3. Adjust Velcroe on Batting Gloves. 4. Adjust jock. 5. Rinse, lather and repeat). It's just to time consuming again, I skew a little bit older than most here – but I find it boring and I've loved baseball for most of my life.

    • Classless

      I'm 29 and feel the exact same way as you. The games are such a time commitment. At least with the Celtics and Patriots, the games end at the same time pretty much every night.

      The Lenny Clarke garbage is awful. So isn't the constant reference to Dennis Drinkwater and 1-800-54-Giant.

  • Chris G.

    My guess is the non stop other events that have taken place during Sox games this year.

    Until May/June, we had the Celtics or/and Bruins playing nearly every night when there is a Sox game on. Sometimes both were on. I know that playoff games are going to be a priority over early regular season games for me.

    • Norwood Zip

      Good get on the C's/B's had forgotten all about that (again, I'm an old bastard)

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/daver4470 APimpNamedDaveR

    It's all because Hideki Okajima isn't accountable. See what happens when you're not accountable? Ratings go down, dogs sleeping with cats, chaos!

  • shawn

    injuries

    • http://intensedebate.com/profiles/minimack42 Angry Old Bastard

      The front running Pink hats have jumped ship

      • Paul

        The old crusty blue-hats are still hanging on bitterly.

      • Jon

        Good riddance. The twits who want to sleep with Ellsbury and their moms who wanted Variteck have prevented people who actually like the Red Sox from going to Fenway for way too long. I want to ask my Mom if here generation was obnoxious about Jim Lonborg or Fred Lynn.

  • Eddie

    I've been watching the Sox since Jimmy Piersall patrolled center field. They've got to speed up these games. I know it's not just the Red Sox. MLB has to take some serious action. I don't have the stats, but I'm pretty sure that games used to take about an hour less back in the days of old bastard baseball.

    I don't know why I remember this, but game 7 of the 1960 world series had 19 runs scored, along with a bunch of base hits and baserunners. Tony Kubek got hit in the throat by a ground ball which caused a delay and the game still took only about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

    • Jason_Coyote

      Sadly Eddie, we all know why the games have gotten so much longer over the last fifty years – it's consumerism, captialism and the almighty dollar. As long as there is money to be made there are all the aforementioned commercial spots AND the obnoxious in-game drop-ins. Add to that all the batters stepping out of the box and all the pitcher-catcher conferences and it's easy for even the most alert, intense baseball fan to nod off in boredom.

      For many of the reasons already listed here, I too have a hard time watching a Sox game from start to finish.

  • El Jefe

    Norwood ZIP has bingo. There are too many outlets to get updates now a days. The length of games is the primary turn off for me. Right up there with Amica pitch zone, Remy and the Orsillo-bot.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Lance_ Lance_

    The Red Sox have entertainment competition. Unlike previous years for me I'm not willing to have the Sox on as white noise while I do things around my house. There are better things to have on tv now. Maybe it's more apathy to the Sox, maybe it's because whenever I do stop to watch it's the endless commercials or just the slow play where I rarely get to watch the end of a game.

    The atmosphere at Fenway is still a lot of fun – outside of the horrible food at mortgage sized prices – but it's no longer "must-see" tv for me. They're maximizing profits and I'm maximizing my free time. They're rarely in sync these days.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/daver4470 APimpNamedDaveR

      Well put. I think I'm sort of in the same boat as you.

  • billy boy

    The radio guys are better anyway…the games are really long but are great to listen to in bed or have on in the background.

  • bholmes

    always bashing nesn. you were probably stuffed in your locker by a regional cable operator.
    #eei4eva-allen-hack-thew

    • Classless

      there's alot to bash, holmes. Or is your pink hat pulled down to low to see?

  • shawn

    The drop in ratings is compared to last year. The only significant difference between last year and this year is the lineup. The games are just as long and there is just as much competition for entertainment. Are the ratings for the Yankee (and other teams) down as well?

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