(SUNRISE, FL) – Fox Sports Net announced today that its Tampa Bay Devil Rays' telecasts averaged a 1.8 television household rating during the month of June in the Tampa/St. Petersburg DMA, the highest June average rating for Rays games telecast on the regional sports network in seven years. The 1.8 average rating marks a 50% increase over last season's June average. Previously, the highest average rating for June was a 2.2 set back in 1998, the team's inaugural season.
During the team's franchise record twelve game winning streak from June 9 – 22, Fox Sports Net Rays game telecasts averaged a 2.3 television household rating, a 77% increase over the same number of games telecast prior to the streak from May 26 – June 8, which received a 1.3 average rating.
"With a 26-8 record since May 20th, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are the hottest team in all of baseball," said Jeff Genthner, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Fox Sports Net Florida. "They're the only team to rebound from 18 games under to an even .500 in the same season in over 100 years, who knows what's to come?"
One rating point represents approximately 15,700 television households in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg DMA. The Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg DMA consists of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Polk, Manatee, Sarasota, Hardee and Highlands Counties.
Fox Sports Net Florida reaches over 5 million households in Florida. Fox Sports Net Florida's programming includes Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers, the University of Miami, and the University of South Florida, The Best Damn Sports Show Period and NASCAR. Fox Sports Net Florida is managed by Rainbow Sports Networks.
Rainbow Sports Networks is a division of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Fox Sports Net reaches more than 80 million households nationwide and is a service of National Sports Partners, equally owned by Rainbow Media Holdings LLC and Fox Entertainment Group. Rainbow Sports Networks incorporates Rainbow's 50% ownership in Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports National Advertising and the ownership and management of Fox Sports Net regional networks in five of the nation's largest markets: Chicago, San Francisco, New England, Ohio and Florida.