New way to track TV viewership vaults Reds past top TV shows

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/03/30/new-way-to-track-tv-viewership-vaults-redspast-top.html

By Steve Watkins – Staff Reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

Fox Sports has been focusing on a new way to look at Major League Baseball TV ratings that would push Cincinnati Reds games’ viewership far beyond even the top-rated TV shows.

Fox Sports executives have been tracking a metric called total viewing consumption over the past few years to gauge TV viewership. It multiplies average household ratings – the typical measure for a TV show’s viewership – by the number of minutes that show is on TV over the course of the year.

In essence, the Reds and other MLB teams fare much better in total viewing consumption because they’re on the air for so many more hours over the course of a year than a hit show would be.

Take last year. The Reds averaged 32,000 households watching their broadcasts on Fox Sports Ohio last year. That’s pretty good, especially considering they had their third straight last-place finish. They posted a 3.8 average household rating, meaning 3.8 percent of TV households tuned in to Reds games. Their prime-time ratings ranked 17th among MLB’s 30 teams, according to Forbes.

But those ratings were well shy of popular shows like “The Big Bang Theory,” which averaged 125,000 local households over the 2016-17 season, or “NCIS,” which averaged 112,000. But those shows are on for a half-hour and hour, respectively, and air once a week. The Reds are on 162 times last season with games typically lasting about three hours.

Reds games were on TV for 29,355 minutes last season. New episodes of “Big Bang” aired for just 720 minutes, while “NCIS” was on for 1,440 minutes. 

Multiply all of that Reds air time by their ratings, and they had total viewership consumption of 939.4 million viewer minutes. By comparison, “NCIS” had a paltry 161 million viewer minutes, while “Big Bang” had 90 million.

“It’s no secret that Cincinnati has always been a great baseball town, and when we look at Reds viewing in terms of total time spent we really get a clear picture of how dominant the Reds are locally all season, and how that viewing piles up over a 162-game season,” said Mike Mulvihill, Fox Sports executive vice president of research and strategy. “Notice, for example, that the Reds attract more than 10 times as much total viewing as “The Big Bang Theory.” That is marketplace domination, and we see similar trends all over the country.”

Mulvihill said this new metric won’t replace ratings for Fox Sports or advertisers in determining ad rates, but it does provide valuable information to Fox.

“Our business partners find this interesting, but I think they’re going to continue to focus primarily on metrics that speak specifically to their own campaigns,” Mulvihill said. “Looking at total consumption just helps us paint the most accurate picture of how much a major league team really controls its market over the course of a season.”

Meantime, the Reds will start to pile up viewership numbers again this season beginning Friday with the Opening Day game at 4:10 p.m. vs. the Washington Nationals after it was postponed from Thursday due to inclement weather. The game will air on Fox Sports Ohio and WKRC-TV (Channel 12). 

FOX Sports Ohio Telethon raises $15,000 for Reds Community Fund

On Thursday, June 20^th when the Cincinnati Reds played the Pittsburgh Pirates, FOX Sports Ohio and the Reds produced a special game telecast dedicated to the Reds Community Fund with limited commercial breaks.

The Reds Community Fund is the nonprofit arm of the Reds and strives to connect at-risk children with baseball while creating fundraising programs that connect baseball with the community.

During the natural between innings breaks, FOX Sports Ohio and the Reds featured many of the wonderful programs the Community Fund supports. Throughout the telecast, fans were encouraged to support the Community Fund by making a donation at reds.com/community or by calling (513) 765-7300.

Together, FOX Sports Ohio and the Reds helped raise over $15,000 for the Community Fund.

“Thank you all for your efforts leading up to the telethon and for pulling off an amazing production. Beyond the fundraising (which should eclipse $15,000 and is still climbing) and the fabulous new production elements, we enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with you on such an exciting venture. Everyone throughout the Fox family was helpful, professional and positive and made for a memorable experience for us. We’ve received a tremendous amount of positive feedback. It’s great to know that all of your hard work is already resulting in more opportunities for the kids that we aspire to serve. Thanks again for all of the time, talent and hustle that you invested in this process.”

Charley Frank, Executive Director, Community Fund

Below is a sampling of features that ran during the game:

 Feature on Reds Rookie Success League:

Reds players interact with children at a new free, coed baseball program in Clermont County.

Feature on Reds Urban Youth Academy:

Local pitcher Daron Bowling threw no-hitter and earned college scholarship.

Feature on the Community Fund Match Program:

Breaking through social & cultural stereotypes by bringing together kids of different areas & backgrounds to play ball

Feature on the Girls RBI Program:

Reds RBI senior softball team qualified for regional finals in the last two years. One player was awarded a college scholarship thanks to the program, academics and community involvement.

Media Hits:
Cincinnati Enquirer
Better of Red (blog)
Redsball.com (blog)

FOX Sports Ohio's "Ticket Office Takeover" Drives Reds Ticket Sales

FOX Sports Ohio’s “Ticket Office Takeover” Huge Success in Driving Cincinnati Reds Ticket Sales

Throughout the 2012 Reds regular season, FOX Sports Ohio helped the Cincinnati Reds increase ticket sales by “taking over the ticket office”. During six select Reds games, FOX Sports Ohio announced the “Ticket Office Takeover,” a Reds ticket offer exclusively for viewers. While watching the game, fans learned of the ticket offer and were given instructions on how to take advantage it. Fans had to act fast, because it was an opportunity only available during the game telecast. 

“The FOX Sports Ohio Ticket Takeover promotion has been a success with sales far exceeding our expectations, thanks in large to the high level of exposure FOX Sports Ohio provides through pre-promotion and during the sale," said Reds Vice President of Ticket Sales John Davis. “We look forward to seeing this program continue to grow  in future seasons.”

In just six Ticket Office Takeovers, the Reds sold over 5,000 tickets.

During the 2011 regular season, FOX Sports Ohio did a similar initiative, called “Ticket Tuesday”.

When comparing Ticket Office Takeover in 2012 to Ticket Tuesday in 2011, the Reds saw dramatic percentage increases in two primary ticket sales benchmarks:

·        “Tickets Sold” during promotional window – increased by 1,086% in 2012

·        “Ticket Revenue” during promotional window – increased by 791% in 2012

In addition to Reds on-field performance this season, FOX Sports Ohio’s Marketing Director Alex Slemc also attributes this promotion’s success to a more aggressive, “act now” approach.  With a more compelling promotion name, it helped communicate to fans that in taking over the Reds ticket office, the network was the one providing the free or heavily discounted ticket during that game only.

“The attractive offers and a stronger urgency to buy during the promotional window (pre-game show to the end of the game) were key,” stated Slemc.

The six Ticket Office Takeover dates and offers were:

·        April 17 – 2 lower level tickets for $40 for April 24 game vs. Giants plus two free Reds caps

·        May 15 – Buy one field box, mezzanine, or view level ticket to May 21, 22, or 23 game vs. Braves and get one free

·        May 29 – $20 field box seats for June 5-7 series v. Pirates ($14 savings per seat)

·        June 19 – Buy one field box or mezzanine ticket to June 26 game vs. Brewers and get same location free to July 15 game vs. Cardinals

·        July 24 – $20 field box seats to July 30-31 games vs. Padres ($14 savings per seat)

·        *August 21 – Buy one ticket to Sept. 3-5 game vs. Phillies and get one free

*This was the single most successful ticket promotional date in all FOX Sports Ohio’s team ticket promotions (including Cavs Box Office Buyouts), selling over 1,500 tickets in just over 3 hours.

Reds Ratings Sizzle on FOX Sports Ohio

The TV ratings for the Cincinnati Reds on FOX Sports Ohio continue to heat up.

Here is an article posted in the CincyBizBlog of the Cincinnati Business Courier.

Cincinnati Reds fans flock to TVs, ratings soar

By Steve Watkins

Winnings has its rewards.

The Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati Reds Latest from The Business Journals Bench, MiLB head talk baseball before All-Star GameBig Red Machine makes up core of all-time Reds teamCincinnati Reds attendance jumps, ahead of MLB pace Follow this company have generated one of the top three TV ratings among Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Latest from The Business Journals Independence steps up to the All-Star plate, seeking economic winKansas City suburbs largely sit out of All-Star Game flurryCelebrities join lineup for baseball’s All-Star weekend Follow this company teams, a little more than a third of the way through the season.

Reds games have averaged an 8.4 household rating this season through 58 games, according to Fox Sports Ohio. That means an average of more than 8 percent of all local households tuned in to some part of the Reds’ games this year.

The St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals Latest from The Business Journals 10 Minutes with Wally AltesSt. Louis Character: Kent SkorniaPhillies announce next Wall of Fame entrant Follow this company , Detroit Tigers and the Reds lead the pack among the 30 MLB teams, Fox Sports Ohio said, with each within 0.1 rating point of each other as of June 15.

The Reds’ recent hot streak has boosted ratings. They’re 10-6 in June and have opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the National League Central Division. That helped lift TV ratings to 9.5 in June. Monday night’s opener of a three-game series against in-state rival the Cleveland Indians generated a 12.8 rating, their highest since Opening Day, Fox Sports Ohio spokeswoman Kate Buddenhagen said.

Additional media has taken an interest in Reds ratings, including the Cincinnati Enquirer, Yardbarker.com, and Redleg Review. (click each to see their coverage.)

FOX Sports Ohio Facebook Sweepstakes Draws Over 2,000 Entries in Just Two Weeks

For two weeks in May, FOX Sports Ohio viewers could enter to win the Lunch Bunch Sweepstakes, presented by Cincinnati Bell Fioptics. The prize was lunch with Cincinnati Reds outfield Drew Stubbs, Reds Live host Jim Day, and the FOX Sports Ohio Girls, as well as a 46" television.

To enter, fans had to "like" the FOX Sports Ohio Girls on Facebook and complete an entry form located at the Lunch Bunch tab on the Girls' facebook page.

The contest was promoted on air during Cincinnati Reds telecasts on FOX Sports Ohio as well as on the network's and the Girls' Facebook and Twitter pages. The promotion also garnered some blog coverage: Yardbarker, Red Hot Mama, Cincinnati Buzz, & Redsball.com

In the two-week window, the sweepstakes had over 2,000 entries and new Facebook likes!

The winner, Eric McGuire, redeemed his prize on June 7 at the Moerlein Lager House in Cincinnati.

From L to R: Sara, Eric McGuire (winner), Kristine, Jim Day, Hallie, Drew Stubbs

While at the event, FOX Sports Ohio Girl Kristine was able to chat with Drew Stubbs and ask him some questions, a few which came from their Facebook fans. Check out the video below.

FOX Sports Ohio Marches To Record Opening Day

From record ratings to direct interaction with tens of thousands of fans, FOX Sports Ohio hit a home run on Cincinnati Reds Opening Day. Leading up the big day, the network also prepared fans for the season with an expanded “March to Opening Day” campaign, offering more extensive programming and more events and fan engagement than ever before.

• Month-long preseason programming, presented by Tri-State Chevy Dealers, including new nightly show with call-in contest & social media interaction

• Twelve local events featuring games, contests, prizes, and FOX Sports Ohio Girls

• FSOhio stretched vehicle in Opening Day Parade with Reds broadcasters and FOX Sports Ohio Girls

• Hour-long Reds Live pregame show on Opening Day included special FOX Sports Ohio Girls and Opening Day Parade segment (click to watch)

• Record High Opening Day Rating – 21.25 HH rating in simulcast with WKRC Channel 12; 24% increase from previous record (17.2 in 2000)

FSOhio & Affiliate Sales & Marketing Give Partners A Special Reds Experience

Jay Bruce and Paul Janish answering questions moderated by Jim Day

• FOX Sports Ohio and the affiliate sales and marketing team worked together to plan and host mutual partners in an intimate luncheon with Cincinnati Reds players Jay Bruce and Paul Janish.
• The event was a joint effort to provide added value to the affiliate partner Insight and advertising partners.
• An organized autograph and photo session with the Reds stars was followed by an open and friendly Q&A session with the players, moderated by FOX Sports Ohio’s Reds Live cohost, Jim Day.

FOX Sports Ohio's "March To Opening Day" Campaign Fuels Big Ratings

In preparation for Cincinnati Reds season, FOX Sports Ohio launched a preseason promotional campaign, “March to Opening Day,” to create excitement for the upcoming season.

* The campaign featured elements that fully integrated programming, production, marketing/PR, website and social media.

* The combined efforts of FOX Sports Ohio and WKRC on Reds Opening Day yielded a staggering 16.3 HH rating, beating first run prime shows. (The Reds won their first game of the season on a 3-run HR by catcher Ramon Hernandez in the bottom of the 9th.)