Although the Chicago Cubs’ ratings have slipped a bit this year, as compared with their singular quest in 2016, the numbers are still looking fairly strong.
Case in point, last night’s thrilling loss to the Cardinals, which would have clinched the NL Central for the Cubs, was the highest-rated game on CSN this year:
TV RATINGS: @CSNChicago posted its highest-rated #Cubs game of the season – 8.0 rtg; peak over 304K homes – 6p start tonight on CSN #clinch pic.twitter.com/E83Nz2Drd1
— Jeff Nuich (@JeffNuich) September 27, 2017
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. So, an 8.0 rating would fit within the low end of what the Cubs were seeing last year – not too shabby when you consider the different contexts.
As you know, this stuff matters as the Cubs are currently negotiating their next long-term TV rights deal, the details of which are complicated and mysterious – read more here if you want to dive in.