Star-Studded MLB All-Star Game Shines Bright for FOX

The 86th MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ALL-STAR GAME on FOX from Great America Ball Park in Cincinnati last night was a star-studded celebration of the National Pastime, highlighted by a pregame salute to each club’s Franchise Four, with on-field appearances by hometown representatives Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin, Joe Morgan and Pete Rose followed by baseball’s Greatest Living Franchise Four – Hank Aaron, Bench, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays.

The spectacle that was the 2015 MLB ALL-STAR GAME, a 6-3 win by the American League that saw Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim superstar Mike Trout named game MVP for the second straight year, scored a 6.6/12 fast-national household rating/share, with an average audience of 10.9 million, according to Nielsen Media Research, and remains the most-watched All-Star Game in American sports.

86th MLB All-Star Game Highlights:

– The MLB All-Star Game maintained its traditional stature as the No. 1 All-Star event in American sports. Last night’s 6.6 household rating beats the 2015 NFL Pro-Bowl by +29% (5.1), NBA All-Star Game by +53% (4.3) and NHL All-Star Game by 450% (1.2).

– While complete nationals are not yet available, FOX is projected to easily win the night in primetime (8:00-11:00 PM ET) and is projected to have its best Tuesday in primetime since Game 6 of the 2014 World Series.

– The game posted year-to-year gains among younger viewers including Male Teens 12-17 (+19%, 2.5 vs. 2.1); Men 18-34 (+3%, 3.4 vs. 3.3); and Adults 18-34 (+4%, 2.6 vs. 2.5).

– The audience for the game began at 9.9 million from 8:24 – 8:30 and peaked at 12.1 million from 9:45-10:00 PM ET. The last hour of the broadcast averaged 9.2 million viewers as the AL opened a four run lead.

– The Mid-Summer Classic continues to be a ratings force compared to summer primetime entertainment competition on both broadcast and cable. The 2015 All-Star Game ranks as the No. 1 program in primetime in Households and across all key male and adult demos including Men 18-34, Men 18-49, Men 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

– The game’s 10.9 million viewers falls within the 10.897 – 11.338 million range established for the last five MLB All-Star Games.

– Top 10 Markets: Kansas City, 31.4/50; Cincinnati, 22.8/37; St. Louis, 17.9/27; Pittsburgh, 13.2/22; Dayton, 11.4/19; Detroit, 10.4/17; Sacramento, 10.4/18; Minneapolis, 9.9/19; Columbus, Ohio, 9.7/16; San Diego, 9.0/18.

– Top 10 markets showing greatest year-to-year growth: Kansas City, +178% (31.4 vs. 11.3); Cincinnati, +97% (22.8 vs. 11.6); Houston, +93% (5.4 vs. 2.8); Albuquerque, + 55% (5.9 vs. 3.8); Sacramento, +46% (10.4 vs. 7.1); Chicago, +35% (7.7 vs. 5.7); Nashville, +35% (5.4 vs. 4.0); Salt Lake City, +34% (5.5 vs. 4.1); Columbus, Ohio, +26% (9.7 vs. 7.7); Indianapolis, +26% (7.2 vs. 5.7).

– On FOX Sports GO, the 2015 MLB All-Star Game registered 63,878 unique streamers for the simulcast, representing a huge +335% increase from last year’s game (14,679).