Royals-Orioles ALCS proving to be TV ratings winner

It may come to a surprise to TV broadcasters, but fans will actually tune into a post-season series that doesn't involve the Red Sox and Yankees! The Royals-Orioles American League Championship Series is proving to be quite the ratings winner, despite involving two of the smallest markets in the American League.

Monday's series opener drew an average of 5.9 million viewers, a 9% increase over Game One of the 2013 NLCS on TBS between the Dodgers and Cardinals, despite feature TV markets in Baltimore and Kansas City 70% of the size of Los Angeles and St. Louis. The game was the most-watched program on cable on Friday night, and TBS has won the night on cable each night it has broadcast Royals post-season action. Nationally, the Royals-Orioles game pulled a 3.6 rating, and locally in Kansas City, the game drew a 31.7, the second-highest rated show in Kansas City history behind only Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Angels.