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As the Yankees reassert themselves in the postseason chase, the MLB club’s regional sports network has also seen a new viewership narrative emerge.
The YES Network said that it is averaging 291,628 total viewers per game for Yankees broadcasts, up by 5% over 2024’s results, and up by 12% compared to competing coverage of the Mets on SportsNet New York, which averages 259,392 viewers per game.
Helping fuel the boosts is an 84% increase in streaming of Yankees games on Gotham Sports, the streaming service the YES Network jointly operates with MSG Networks.
The latest viewership numbers counter a series of reports earlier this year that SNY had been trouncing YES Network in local baseball viewership. YES Network, however, received notice from Nielsen that previously reported overnight figures for YES Network had only included linear viewership, while competing Mets numbers on SNY had reflected total viewership.
Nielsen, meanwhile, is in the midst of rolling out a new audience measurement standard blending linear and streaming viewership.
The battle for viewership supremacy in MLB’s largest market is also happening amid several other backstories. Both the Yankees and Mets are looking to find their on-field footing after stumbles this summer, an effort that continued Tuesday night as the Yankees tied a club record with nine home runs in a 13-3 win over the Rays.
Additionally, YES Network will soon be restarting carriage talks with Comcast, which is an equity partner in SNY. Comcast and YES Network had a fractious negotiation in the early spring, but reached an agreement running through the 2025 baseball season.
The Yankees’ local viewership is among the highest in the league, not surprising given the size of the New York market, but some clubs, including the Phillies, have posted even higher numbers.
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