MLS Cup Ratings

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by RfrancisR, Nov 20, 2007.

  1. RfrancisR

    RfrancisR Member+

    Aug 7, 2006
    New Orleans Diaspora
  2. monster

    monster Member

    Oct 19, 1999
    Hanover, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But are they comparing the 07 overnight to the 06 final or 06 overnight?
     
  3. RfrancisR

    RfrancisR Member+

    Aug 7, 2006
    New Orleans Diaspora
    I don't know. But I think the overnight was about a 0.8, if I remember correctly. And the 0.9 here doesn't include Telefutura's ratings. If Telefutura just pulled in a 0.4, the combined is 1.3 and that would be among the most watched MLS Cups ever --- and that would be despite an awful start time. Many around here were predicting ratings doom because of the start time, but that clearly didn't happen.
     
  4. monster

    monster Member

    Oct 19, 1999
    Hanover, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I just saw elsewhere that .8 was the final last year. And I agree with you on the TF possibility, but we'll have to see.
     
  5. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    Earlier in the week, he wrote:

    MLS Cup on ABC, Revolution/Dynamo, 12 PM Sunday -- In each of the past three years, the MLS Cup has drawn a 0.8/2 rating on ABC. In a noon timeslot, look for ratings to fall even lower than that number. The record low is 0.6. Prediction: 0.7.
     
  6. RfrancisR

    RfrancisR Member+

    Aug 7, 2006
    New Orleans Diaspora
    A drop in ratings due to start time was predicted by many around here. I'm glad it's better than predicted.
     
  7. ThreeApples

    ThreeApples Member+

    Jul 28, 1999
    Smurf Village
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If I'm not mistaken, the previous high rating was in 2001, which was a 12:30 Eastern start, the earliest start ever before this year. I wonder if there's actually a slight ratings benefit to having the broadcast start before any of the NFL games begin.
     
  8. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Huh. That's odd. Who was the genius recently saying how stupid it was to go on at noon because the ratings would be so bad?

    Seriously, that's got to be the overnight, though, not the final national. The final national won't be known for a week or so yet (unless they have some new CTU technology).

    And the history:

    MLS CUP RATINGS
    Year....Date......Time.......Rtg...TVHH
    1996...Oct. 20...3:30pm ET...1.4..1,330,000
    1997...Oct. 26...3:30pm ET...1.4..1,358,000
    1998...Oct. 25...3:30pm ET...1.0...N/A
    1999...Nov. 21...1:30pm ET...0.7...N/A
    2000...Oct. 15...1:30pm ET...0.7...N/A
    2001...Oct. 21..12:30pm ET...1.0..1,031,000
    2002...Oct. 20...1:30pm ET...0.8....845,000
    2003...Nov. 23...3:30pm ET...0.6....702,000
    2004...Nov. 14...3:30pm ET...0.8....840,000
    2005...Nov. 13...3:30pm ET...0.8....854,000
    2006...Nov. 12...3:30pm ET...0.8....946,000
    2007...Nov. 18..12:00pm ET...??????????????
     
  9. RfrancisR

    RfrancisR Member+

    Aug 7, 2006
    New Orleans Diaspora
    What were the overnights last year, so that we can compare?
     
  10. uclacarlos

    uclacarlos Member+

    Aug 10, 2003
    east coast
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    You are mistaken.

    Repent. NOW!!!
     
  11. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The major market overnight was apparently .8 in 2006 and 1.0 the year before.

    I'd just wait a week and get the final national number and compare apples to apples.

    If the overnight was a 0.9 this time around, that's more than in 2006 but lower than in 2005. But the final national ratings for all three might end up at 0.8.
     
  12. Revolt

    Revolt Member+

    Jun 16, 1999
    Davis, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Seems to me the ABC & Telefutura ratings should be added.

    This is the first year the MLS Cup was shown over two networks, right?
     
  13. RfrancisR

    RfrancisR Member+

    Aug 7, 2006
    New Orleans Diaspora
    Agreed, but we haven't found Telefutura ratings yet.
     
  14. Heist

    Heist Member+

    Jun 15, 2001
    Virginia
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree that on a NFL sunday noon eastern is better than the middle of the afternoon up against two NFL games as it had been in the past sometimes. I'm sure some people watched the end of the MLS cup before picking up the end of an NFL game, but since the game didn't go up against the end of any NFL games that helped i'm sure.
     
  15. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yep, to get a total audience, sure. I'm sure that in terms of combined audience, Sunday's game did quite well. Maybe better than 1996 and 1997, but that would have required a very large Hispanic audience that didn't watch in English before.
     
  16. RfrancisR

    RfrancisR Member+

    Aug 7, 2006
    New Orleans Diaspora
    Well, just looking at Houston's numbers from 2006 to 2007 and, when you include the Hispanic ratings there you get a total 36.6% increase over last year's rating. So, it could be argued that having a Spanish language broadcast available in Houston helped to increase the ratings. Likewise, we could well expect that a Spanish language broadcast available nationwide could push ratings up quite well. The Spanish Language broadcast in Houston was 47.4% of the English language ratings. Now, I realize that Hispanic interest in Houston would be greater than it is nationwide, but clearly it's realistic to think that Telefutura could've pulled an extra 0.4 rating to the broadcast. Again, it's a wait and see thing.
     
  17. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's all very possible.

    Part of the reason the league has long coveted this demographic but hadn't been able to make many inroads there for many years.

    I'm not sure the Houston Telefutura rating would have been QUITE as high if the Dynamo hadn't been playing in it, but Houston has historically (IIRC) done well with MLS ratings-wise (one reason they have a team in the first place).
     
  18. RfrancisR

    RfrancisR Member+

    Aug 7, 2006
    New Orleans Diaspora
    True. But it does show that having the game available in Spanish definitely bumps the ratings.



    And that might help explain why Seattle was chosen as an expansion team as well. An article in the Seattle Times after the DC United-Real Madrid game said that MLS gets some of its highest ratings in Seattle. I believe, the article stated that MLS generally got about a 1.8 there.
     
  19. Heist

    Heist Member+

    Jun 15, 2001
    Virginia
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I thought the Telefutura ratings weren't even out yet anyway...
    If they aren't out yet, how can they show anything?
     
  20. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yep.

    I've searched the Seattle Times' archives, can't find that particular note.
     
  21. ne plus ultra

    ne plus ultra Member

    Jul 9, 2000
    Self-deprecating humor is great.

    I mean, I assume you're referring to yourself, since when others complained about the start time, you didn't reply that noon was a good time, you agreed that it was bad but told them it couldn't be helped.
     
  22. socluis90

    socluis90 Member+

    Aug 11, 2004
    So Cal
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Telefutura was in DC since Friday covering the match. There was no Mexican league games at the normal 10 am slot for Univision so I think a lot of FMF fans could have just tuned into the game out of curiosity and not having any other soccer to watch.
     
  23. mattmanp

    mattmanp Member

    Jul 2, 2007
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This guy's blog on the Houston Chronicle site has a nice ... nm, that was from last year. Doh!
     
  24. NYCONEONTA

    NYCONEONTA New Member

    Jul 28, 2005
    New York
    does anyone know what percentage of the population actually owns these neilsen boxes and where they are located? i know its supposed to be random but i can't seem to understand how they measure the ratings like this. anyone on bigsoccer own one?
     
  25. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We have this discussion every year, as well.

    Nielsen's methods always come into question, but the industry has accepted them for years and years. The people who complain the loudest are the ones who get low ratings, oddly enough.
     

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