Cable overnights: Huge surge for NL wild card game

One night after TBS broadcast the lowest-rated wild card game on record, ESPN aired the highest-rated one.

Wednesday’s game between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets, which the former won 3-0, became the highest-rated wild card game ever (though, of course, it only dates back to 2012).

The contest averaged a 5.8 overnight household rating, according to Nielsen, topping the record set by last year’s AL and NL play-in games, which each earned a 5.7.

It also marked the highest-rated Major League Baseball game on ESPN since 2003.

The record came a night after the Baltimore Orioles-Toronto Blue Jays wild card game on TBS managed just a 3.3, albeit against the vice presidential debate, which certainly drew away some viewers.

The Giants-Mets game finished as the night’s top show on cable for the night across all major demos, including a 2.2 in adults 18-49, outrating nearly everything on broadcast save “Empire” (it tied ABC’s “Modern Family”).

Elsewhere on cable

FX’s recently renewed “American Horror Story” continued to post strong ratings, though it dropped once again, from a 1.7 last week to a 1.4.

Oprah Winfrey Network’s critically hailed “Queen Sugar” also declined, off a tenth from a 0.5 to a 0.4, tying Comedy Central’s “South Park,” which has also cooled since its season premiere last month.

Tags: baseball, cable, cable overnights, espn, giants, mlb, wild card, wild card ratings