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We won't have the Yankees to kick around this year, and it's possible that 3 million East Coast homes will be shut out because of the dispute between Fox and Cablevision. Not helping is that the Giants and Rangers have had minimal national visibility - and the underdog angle is lost because they're both underdogs. Analyst Brad Adgate tells THR that it could be one of the lowest-rated World Series ever. On the other hand...
Although the Yankees are missing, San Francisco and Dallas/Fort Worth are among the top 10 media markets and should at least get strong tune-ins from hometown fans. Said John Shelton, CEO of media-buying software firm Strata, "Since Texas has never been in the series, the entire state will be watching." Fox expects its highest primetime ratings of this season from the World Series, beating Glee and every freshman show on broadcast TV, and making it a top 10 show, a source said. Game 1 is set for Wednesday night at San Francisco.
Absent the Yankees, what will matter most is how close - and exciting - the first couple of games are.
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.