Detroit Tigers: Winning baseball equals to higher TV ratings

Former Detroit Tiger Craig Monroe reacts to being introduced prior to the Dingers for DIPG event.Dinger 9
Former Detroit Tiger Craig Monroe reacts to being introduced prior to the Dingers for DIPG event.Dinger 9

The Detroit Tigers are one of just four teams who saw a jump in TV viewership from the last time there was a full season in 2019.

The Detroit Tigers have had three straight winning months for the first time since 2016 and as a result of this, the fans are coming back to watch.

According to Maury Brown of Forbes.com ($), the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, LA Dodgers, and Oakland A’s are the only teams with increases from 2019 in the same 60 game span.  Chicago had the highest number with a 129% increase followed by the Padres with 71%, Giants at 54%, Dodgers at 49%, Detroit at 40%, and the A’s at 24%.

Another interesting fact that arose from the article was that the new regional network setup under Bally Sports is down 8% from 2020 and 19% from 2019. For Tigers fans, you can watch the network via AT&T TV but it is not available on YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu, and Dish. This makes it rather difficult if you are in an area that you may use Comcast or WOW Cable as your provider.

So, one has to wonder if there were more avenues to watch the game if that 40% number would be higher.

What lies ahead for Bally Sports Detroit in 2022

The various blackout rules do not even allow you to watch Tigers games on your computer or phone but it has not stopped Tigers fans from watching.  Craig Monroe has been a welcomed addition to the broadcast and as always, Dan Petry when he is on, is always a good color analysis.

Bally Sports is planning on rolling out a direct-to-consumer option for next season that will run about $23 dollars. Sinclair, who owns Bally Sports, recently told investors that they plan to launch before the season begins. The Bally Sports App is currently available for anyone to use their cable or streaming log-ins.

Tell us in the comment section or on social media, how easy or hard has it been to watch Detroit Tigers baseball this season?

Schedule