Phillies' local television viewership falls dramatically in 2012
A disappointing season on the field for the Phillies has led to a big drop in local television viewership for the team's games this year.
Phillies' local television viewership falls dramatically in 2012
Jonathan Tannenwald, Sports Producer
A disappointing season on the field for the Phillies has led to a big drop in local television viewership for the team's games this year.
The Sports Business Journal's John Ourand and David Broughton published the magazine's annual survey of Major League Baseball's local TV ratings on Wednesday.
Ourand and Broughton's data was collected with about a week and a half left to go in the season.
As of that point, the Phillies had suffered the second-biggest decrease in ratings by percentage in Major League Baseball, falling 38.6 percent to a 5.61 average rating.
The team's average viewership had the biggest decrease by percentage in the majors, falling by 39.1 percent to 168,000 viewers per game.
Only the San Diego Padres had a bigger percentage drop in average audience size, falling 39.4 percent to 20,000 viewers per game. That is less than half of PETCO Park's capacity of 42,445.
(It's worth noting that the Padres' drop came mainly because of a carriage dispute which kept many Padres games off some local cable systems. The Phillies had no such problem.)
The Phillies' average local rating is still the seventh-highest in the the majors, and the fourth-highest in the National League. The team's average audience size is tied for the third-largest in the majors and is alone as the second-largest in the National League.
The six teams above the Phillies in terms of local ratings are the Detroit Tigers (9.13), the Cincinnati Reds (8.64), the St. Louis Cardinals (7.68), the Pittsburgh Pirates (6.52), the Boston Red Sox (6.43) and the Texas Rangers (5.88).
In the average viewership standings, the three teams above the Phillies are the New York Yankees (286,000), the New York Mets (173,000) and the Detroit Tigers (168,000).
All of these numbers come as the Phillies prepare to negotiate a new local television contract after this season. It will be interesting to see whether the decreases in ratings and viewers affect the amount of money the Phillies get in their next deal.
For what it's worth, the team that had the largest percentage increase in local ratings is the team that snatched the NL East crown from the Phillies. The Washington Nationals' ratings rose 74.0 percent to a 2.54 average.
It so happens that the Nationals are also going into a local TV contract negotiation after this season. The channel that broadcasts their games, MASN, is 87 percent owned by the Baltimore Orioles, with the Nationals owning the remaining stake.
The Orioles own the Nationals' TV rights because Bud Selig gave them to Baltimore owner Peter Angelos' as a condition for the Montréal Expos' move to D.C. Angelos spent years fighting bitterly to stop the nation's capital from getting a team of its own because he felt it would cut into the Orioles' fan base.
If the Nationals are able to get a better deal from Angelos, it surely won't make the Phillies' efforts to regain the division title any easier. All of the teams in the NL East are now flush with money, whether from stadiums, TV deals or both.
But that doesn't mean the Phillies' rivals have equally passionate fans. As long as Citizens Bank Park remains full (or close to it), Philadelphia will remain a place where top players want to play.
As for whether the Nationals' recent success will grow the team's still-nascent fan base, well... I think I'll leave that to others to judge.
That's a shame that fans stopped watching - the Phils played some really great baseball down the stretch. I would say, though, that maybe if the viewers didn't have to listen the inane ramblings of Tom McCarthy all game long (instead of, say, Scott Franzke), some people would have stuck with the TV broadcast? I understand Wheels isn't going anywhere until he retires, but McCarthy's earned no such tenure and needs to go. He's horrible at play-by-play, interviews, and even genuine banter.— bdm155- Why are you so worked up about McCarthy? How do you even notice him with Gasbag Wheeler explaining every detail of the game starting with the stitching on the ball? Otter-head spoils a good game/season, and makes a bad one intolerable. Another example of Phillies management not having the b*lls to make changes. — Lpaul
- Did you even read the article? Yes there is a big decrease but the ratings are still among the highest in baseball.
I'm surprised it wasn't worse. This team played the most heartless I've seen in a while. Even the Francona teams weren't this bad. It was score a few runs, get the lead, get lazy, and lose the game in the 8th. The team was a mirror image of its manager (ineffective and complacent) and its GM (moronic and focused on pass glory).— BumSatellite - another reason for the declining viewership is the tv broadcast itself...not an inning or half inning goes by without the announcers shilling something or other...when it starts cutting into the actual game,then it becomes more annoying...if they must promote future games or coming attractions,why don't they run a crawl at the bottom of the screen instead of yakking it up about the ticket availability for the next homestand or phillies week in february???also,the top of the screen banner needs to be revamped....include a running pitch count and enlarge the banner itself...not everyone has 20/20 vision,folks...and last,before the start of the first half inning,why don't you show the defensive alignment...every other tv network does that except csn...as for the announcers,that's a topic for another day,but they need to improve too...— jabac
- Have you listened to the Eagles radio broadcast? "And that hit was brought to you by Gwynett Mercy" Trust me, the Phillies have nothing on the WIP Eagles broadcast of the game. Simply unlistenable anymore.
I'm probably the only one who used to listen to the Trenton Thunder broadcast on radio, with Tom McCarthy as the play by play man. This was during the years when Garciaparra was on the Thunder. He was simply outstanding back then, a true talent in the making. The problem for me is Wheels, who will not let a moment of silence marinate the airwaves for a nano second. He is overkill beyond belief. He is a knowledgable man and a gentleman to boot, but we don't need to hear a thesis on every single solitary play. - When you had Harry and Whitey, a baseball game had a certain charm even if the team wasn't doing so well. Now, with McCarthy and Wheeler, you kind of watch the games in spite of the announcers. When the team is subpar, it's painful to watch.— dblankj
- unfortunately the announcers are terrible. wheels is very knowledgeable but also very irritating to have to listen to. franzke might be a great replacement but his voice may be too glib.? LA is great.— shammerle
- I love the chemistry between Franzke and LA. Their radiocasts are often entertaining for many reasons. they certainly get involved in the type of banter that made Harry and Whitey so good to listen to. — frstrm
- My favorite way to watch now is with music in my headphones and the TV sound off. It's far less irritating and the game seems to move along faster "as well".— philharmonic55
- A lot of people might attribute this to people jumping off the bandwagon, and I can definitely say that that played a role in it. But, in my opinion, the ratings drop was extremely exacerbated by the loyal fans who normally watch, but were turned off by the unbelievable under-achievement of this squad this season and the smug, terrible offseason perpetrated by GM Ruben Amaro Jr. Philly fans aren't dumb, they know the game by and large and know it well. We knew going into this season that it may have been a shipwreck, but none of us could've imagined just how hard the fall was going to be. RAJ's inability to bolster this roster effectively, and this line-up's inability to make an adjustment, on top of the fact that this squad just didn't have the heart to play the game the way it should be played all contributed to this drop in interest from the fans. The Phillies have to get away from the big-market, big-money aura that they've so clearly embraced, and get back to the blue-collar team it was.— fightonphilly
- I never thought I would hear an announcer who grated more than Wheeler. Then McCarthy burst onto the scene.— Scope33
- I pride myself as one of the 5.61. Although viewership is down, I have heard that the Phils finished no 1 in average attendance. Unfortunately, most checked out when the season was all but settled. Hopefully they will be back on the right path next year. Having the top 5 record post all-star break and finishing above .500 considering is a major accomplishment for this years iteration. This is also the longest stretch of .500 or better baseball in the phillies 100 plus year history. So theres that.— frstrm
These things tend to happen when you are 20 games out in July. Running a lineup out there of Wiggy,Galvis,JStroll,Fontenot,Mayberry,Pierre, Nix. With a pitching rotation of KK,Worley,Blanton with Quails,Sanches,Savery,Swimmer in the pen.
Phillies fans are nobodys fool.— argonne- I echo all the gripes about the TV crew. They are beyond annoying. Gary Matthews' alternatingly singsong and then raspy delivery is unbearable, plus he has nothing to say and takes thousands of words to try to say it. He almost makes me long for the 7th inning when Wheeler comes back! McCarthy ought to be stunned with a bark collar every time he laughs like a hyena at one of the Sarge's inane remarks. And yes, they've becoming legends in their minds, constantly intruding upon the ebb and flow of the game with their endless promotional blurbs and sideshow antics that are appreciated by few.
Did I mention I don't like the TV crew a whole lot?
The radio guys, by contrast, are perfect. That's how a ballgame should sound. Don't mess with 'em.— dasher
