NEW YORK - The decision to put the Cubs-Braves game in prime time paid off for Fox Sports. <br>
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The rating for Game one of the Chicago-Atlanta series got an 8.9 overnight rating, an eleven percent increase over last year and the highest for a playoff opener since 1998. <br>
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While the New York Yankees have traditionally played their first-round playoff games in prime time because they are a big TV draw, Fox decided to show the Cubs and Braves last night. <br>
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The decision was made in part because of the national following those teams have and because the Yankees' opponent, the Minnesota Twins, is not as big a draw. The Yankees-Twins game was shown by ESPN starting at 1 p.m. EDT. Ratings for that game were not immediately available. <br>
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Last year, Fox got an eight-point-zero overnight rating for the Yankees' playoff opener against the Anaheim Angels. The last time a Game one overnight was higher than this year's 8.9 came in 1998 when the Texas-Yankees game got a 9.2. <br>
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Tuesday night's rating also was higher than every league championship series game last year and Game one of the NBA Finals, which received an 8.1. <br>
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Chicago (28.9) and Atlanta (21.2) had the highest ratings. New York got a 7.9 and Los Angeles received a 7.6. <br>
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Overnight ratings measure the 55 largest TV markets in the United States, covering nearly 70 percent of the country. National ratings were expected to be available later Wednesday.
