ESPN Hits Ratings Home Run With MLB Opening Day Telecast

By R. Thomas Umstead
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

ESPN’s St. Louis Cardinals-Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball game Sunday was the most live viewed and streamed opening night ever, the network said Monday.

The game, in which the Cardinals defeated the defending World Series champions, drew 3.6 million viewers, up 25% from last year’s New York Mets-Kansas City Royals opening day telecast. With live streaming adding in, the game drew 3.7 million viewers, according to ESPN.

The game also drew more than 1.7 million Twitter and Facebook interactions, topping all live sports programs for the evening, said Nielsen.

This article was originally published on Multichannel.com.

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.