When the Cubs are winning, they are popular. Well, the Cubs are always popular, but even more so when they’re extending a five-game winning streak.
Last night’s game was the highest rated of the year for CSN Chicago, and was also the top program in the Chicago market among adults 25-54:
OFFICIAL: @CSNChicago posted its HIGHEST-RATED #Cubs game of the 2017 season last night (5.7 rtg; #1 in Chicago mrkt for Adults 25-54) pic.twitter.com/knbNfT1UqH
— Jeff Nuich (@JeffNuich) June 7, 2017
And they got to see a good one, as the Cubs turned a close game into a blowout.
As you know, the Cubs’ TV rights deals with CSN, ABC, and WGN run through the 2019 season, and they are currently in the process of negotiating a new TV deal that is expected to come with their own cable channel. Showing continued strong ratings even after the quest to win it all is “over”, then, will go a long way to assisting in those negotiations.
For context, the Cubs averaged a 4.5 rating last year, and spiked in the regular season in September in the 7.2 to 11.9 range (with lots of CSN records being set at the time). In 2015, they averaged a 3.3 rating.