Royals’ TV ratings are down, but FSKC still is leader in prime time

The Royals’ reign as the leaders of local television ratings in Major League Baseball is in jeopardy, but their games on Fox Sports Kansas City make that network No. 1 in prime time in the KC market since the start of the season.

Despite having the worst record in the American League, the Royals are averaging a 7.5 household rating for games on Fox Sports Kansas City this season, according to Nielsen. That ranks third in baseball behind the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals. A story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer said the Indians’ rating was 8.0, while the Cardinals were close behind at 7.92.

The average prime-time ratings for Royals games on FSKC are slightly higher at 7.9, according to Nielsen. That is the best average prime-time rating of any network in Kansas City. KCTV (Ch. 5) was second at 5.7, according to Nielsen.

“Coming off historic highs the last two years, the Royals continue to dominate the local TV market and consistently deliver some of the highest ratings of any MLB team,” Fox Sports Kansas City general manager/senior vice president Jack Donovan said in a statement.

The Royals’ best season for local television ratings was in 2015 when they averaged 12.3. Last season, they were at 10.9. No team in baseball had better local TV ratings in those two seasons.

While ratings are down for Royals games on Fox Sports Kansas City compared with the previous two seasons, they are still better than in 2014 (6.7).

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Royals’ TV ratings are down, but FSKC still is leader in prime time."