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Brewers set TV ratings records on Fox Sports Net

Jeff Richgels  —  8/14/2008 12:31 pm

The Milwaukee Brewers have become a ratings juggernaut for Fox Sports Net Wisconsin, the regional sports network reported Thursday.

Brewers games on FSN Wisconsin have earned the top three and five of the top 10 ratings for baseball games this season on all of the 16 FSN regional networks, and the Brewers' season average is the second highest of all teams, FSN said in a news release.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the Brewers have a season average rating of 7.42 on FSN Wisconsin, up 13 percent over the same point of the 2007 season.

Since 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia was acquired on July 7, the 15 Brewers telecasts have averaged a 10.74 rating, with Monday night's Brewers-Cubs telecast earning a 16.22 -- the team's highest-rated game ever on FSN Wisconsin.

A television rating represents the percentage of television homes in the market tuned to a program. One rating point in Milwaukee -- the only market Nielsen measures in Wisconsin -- equals 8,868 households. That means the 16.22 rating represented more than 143,000 households.

In larger markets, one ratings point can equal many more households so the total number of viewers of Brewers telecasts on FSN Wisconsin are not ranked as high as the ratings percentages.

Since July 18, the Brewers have been ranked No. 1 in prime time (7-11 p.m.) in the Milwaukee market six times. Ten of the Brewers' 2008 telecasts on FSN Wisconsin have earned ratings above 10.0 and placed into the network's top 25 highest-rated FSN programs since 1997.

Among the top-rated telecasts so far this season is the Brewers-Cardinals telecast on July 23 (13.02), the Brewers-Cubs telecast on Tuesday (12.72), the Brewers-Cardinals telecast on July 24 (12.43) and the Brewers-Astros telecast on July 25 (11.1).

In addition, FSN Wisconsin's "Brewers Live" show has earned higher ratings than in any previous season in team history. According to Nielsen, "Brewers Live" pre-game shows averaged a 1.53 rating over the last four months, a 40 percent increase from its 0.93 rating during this time last season. "Brewers Live" post-game shows averaged an impressive 3.35 rating, a 24 percent increase.

FSN Wisconsin is telecasting 65 Brewers games in high-definition this season -- the schedule is at www.myspace.com/fsnwi.

FSN Wisconsin plans to broadcast every Brewers game in HD in 2009 as Fox transitions its 16 regional sports networks, including FSN Wisconsin, into round-the-clock HD telecasts in the first quarter of 2009.

Charter plans to launch FSN Wisconsin in HD on Aug. 20.

No. 1 satellite provider DirecTV carries FSN Wisconsin on channel 669 and FSN Wisconsin HD on 669-1, moving them from 642 and 642-1 on Wednesday. The channel is only active during certain times, such as broadcasts of Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks games, as it is an offshoot of FSN North, which carries telecasts of Minnesota Twins and Timberwolves and Wild games.

No. 2 satellite provider DISH carries FSN North on channel 436, and when there are conflicts -- for example, both Brewers and Twins games airing at the same time -- the Minnesota games air on 436 and FSN Wisconsin airs the Wisconsin team games on one of the alternate channels 444-453.

That will mean FSN will produce its entire slate of more than 3,000 Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and college football and basketball games in HD, up from some 1,700 HD broadcasts in 2008.

Jeff Richgels  —  8/14/2008 12:31 pm