(SUNRISE, FL) – FSN Florida announced today that its Tampa Bay Devil Rays' telecasts averaged a 2.0 television household rating during the month of July in the Tampa/St. Petersburg DMA, the highest July average rating for Rays game telecasts in the history of the regional sports network. The 2.0 average rating marks an 81% increase over last season's July average of 1.1.
"The Devil Rays were baseball's Cinderella story during the first half of the 2004 season, capturing the national spotlight with their twelve game winning streak spanning June 9 -22," said Jeff Genthner, Senior Vice President and General Manager, FSN Florida. "The Rays have established a team of fan favorites including Carl Crawford, Tino Martinez and Aubrey Huff; and the impact can be seen in viewers on FSN and at the turnstiles at 'The Trop'."
One rating point represents approximately 16,440 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.
FSN 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. FSN 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 81 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.