2013 MLB All-Star Game ticks up in viewers

In a world of constantly sagging TV ratings, you’ll take a bump wherever you can get it. Still, the MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field on Tuesday night merely stopped the bleeding.

The 84th Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Fox drew 11.0 million viewers, up 1 percent from last year’s game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, which drew 10.9 million viewers. Fox drew audience increases among Women 18-34 and 18-49, also among Women 12-17, and the network won the night among every major male demographic, but it’s still only a small increase. The game ranks as the third-least watched MLB All-Star Game in history.

MLB’s All-Star Game ranks a solid second in audience among the various exhibitions. The Pro Bowl drew 12.2 million viewers on NBC in February, while in the same month, the NBA All-Star Game hit 8.0 million on TNT. The NHL did not hold an All-Star Game this year due to a lockout.

Though the game was hyped by its New York stage, and by the final All-Star appearance of Mariano Rivera, Fox just didn’t draw that much extra interest. The game, overall, drew a 6.9 rating. The network got a bump to a 7.6 when Rivera pitched at around 10:45 p.m. ET, but that was the highest-rated portion of the game for the night.

Top markets for the MLB All-Star Game were Detroit, which drew a 20.3 local rating, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Baltimore and host New York. The Big Apple drew an 11.3 rating, an increase of 16 percent from last year’s game. The network showed big gains in Cleveland (up 27 percent), Minneapolis (up 26 percent), Boston (up 14 percent) and Tampa Bay (up 13 percent).