It was only a spring training game, but baseball fans tuned in to ESPN’s coverage of Cubs/Giants on Monday in record numbers. The rolling out of the new pitch clock in MLB this season might have had added interest in the exhibition contest.
ESPN reported that Nielsen data showed an average of 423,000 viewers caught the Cactus League game. The audience peaked at 475,000 viewers at 2:30 p.m. eastern.
Viewership for the game was up 44% compared to spring training coverage in 2021. The network did not present any spring training games last year.
It was the first game featuring the pitch clock for Sunday Night Baseball broadcasters Karl Ravech and David Cone. Like many other broadcasters calling games this season, Ravech previously asked that viewers be patient as he too gets used to the new rules in place for 2023.
