Via Deadspin, the Houston Astros' televised 9-2 loss against the Tribe drew an improbable 0.00 Nielsen rating in Houston yesterday.
Says Deadspin:
It's not as bad as it sounds. The Nielsen numbers are calculated by extrapolating a limited number of meters, in this case 581 of them. So it's more accurate to say that of 581 randomly selected Houston-area households, none tuned into the Astros game.
Plus, the game was televised during the Houston Texans' football game against the Baltimore Ravens. So most of the sports-oriented households were likely tuned in to the gridiron. Still, pretty embarrassing.
The Astros and the Indians are 27th and 28th, respectively (out of a total 30 teams), in total MLB attendance this year. By percentage, the Indians are dead last, selling on average only 44 percent of available tickets.
However, in a recent Crains' story about attendance woes, Indians' President Mark Shapiro cited some encouraging statistics. The Tribe's television ratings on SportsTime Ohio are up 36% this season from last season, and a Fox Sports Ohio source told reporter Kevin Kleps that games have been watchd by an average of more than 81,000 homes in the Cleveland-designated market in 2013.
