FS1 Pitches Sabermetrics with NLCS Game 1

Mike Reynolds — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 18:30:00 +0000

Fox Sports 1 is pitching a sabermetrical approach to its telecast of Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Saturday night.

The first game of the NLCS with the San Francisco Giants visiting the defending senior circuit champion St. Louis Cardinals on Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. (ET) will see FSI supplement Fox Broadcast Network’s traditional telecast, with a more analytical-viewing experience.

The cable network’s presentation under the JABO (Just a Bit Outside) banner, will emphasize statistics, sabermetrics and graphics, with numbers aimed at inspiring debate and conversation among host Kevin Burkharrdt; FS1 analysts and JABO contributors, Gabe Kapler and C.J. Nitkowski; Rob Neyer, FoxSports.com’s senior baseball editor; and San Diego Padres manager Bud Black.

The multicast will be complemented by a live interactive chat on social media via the handle @MLBONFOX. Fans can follow the conversation using the hashtag #JABO. JustaBitOutside.com will also feature live blogging and video clips of analysis during the game.

“During the game, our panel will provide insight from every level of baseball, as well as real-time demos, extended replays, and breakdowns of storylines from Game 1,” said Neyer. “Perched atop a bedrock of data supplied by our various partners, we’ll analyze batter/pitcher match-ups, umpiring tendencies, defensive shifts, controversial calls, and the debatable managerial moves that seem to be the talk of nearly every game in October.”

Fans can also watch the traditional broadcast on Fox or the Spanish-language telecast on Fox Deportes. All NLCS Game 1 telecasts will be available through FOX Sports Go, the app that provides live streaming video of Fox Sports content at home or on-the-go.

18-Inning Classic Drives 3.2M Viewers on FS1

Mike Reynolds — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 03:15:00 +0000

The longer it went the more people tuned in.

Fox Sports 1's coverage of the San Francisco Giants' marathon 2-1 win over the Washington Nationals in Game 2 of their National League Diviison Series averaged 3.16 million viewers on Oct 4, according to Nielsen fast nationals data, making it the fifth largest audience in the network's history. It also came one day after the first game of the St. Louis Cardinals-Los Angeles Dodgers scored the 14-month-old service's top tally with 3.6 million watchers.

The contest, which tied a Major League Baseball postseason record with 18 innings, was the longest in the sport's history at 6 hours and 23 minutes, but the audience as it moved deeper into the night at Naitonals Park.

The first nine innings averaged 2.5 million viewers, while innings 10-18 averaged 3.9 million, an increase of 56%. The game peaked at 4.2 million viewers at 11:30 PM-12:00 AM ET.

All told, Game 2 grew 55% from the 2.04 million watchers from the first game of the series, won 3-2 by the Giants.

In San Francisco the game averaged 11.5 household rating, while it posted a 9.5 in Washington, DC, both records for FS1 in each respective market.

According to network officials, FS1 was the No. 1 cable network and No. 2 network overall in primetime households on Saturday, based on Nielsen metered market figures, averaging a 2.8, second only on the night to CBS's 3.2.

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FS1 Pitches Sabermetrics with NLCS Game 1

18-Inning Classic Drives 3.2M Viewers on FS1