0.0: The Astros Fail to Register in Houston Nielsen Ratings

0.0: The Astros Fail to Register in Houston Nielsen Ratings

The Houston Astros have recently made a habit of last place in the standings. On Monday, they recorded a last place Nielsen rating–a 0.0. In other words, not one of the 579 television sets tracked by Nielsen in the Houston area tuned into the game. The pregame show, which scored a 0.2, attracted more viewers than the game.

The Astros faced competition from a jaywalker’s row of daytime television: Dr. Phil, Curious George, and the Spanish language broadcast of the 700 Club. Playing on a weekday afternoon surely didn’t help Houston’s cause among viewers. And the fact that Fort Worth played host to a NASCAR make-up race that afternoon and that the sports world focused on AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the NCAA tournament final later that night may have distracted. But the unfortunate reality that the Angels posted nine runs on Houston, and three in the first inning, surely hurt more. 

The “ratings” at Minute Maid Park weren’t very good, either. Just 17,936 attended the game. 

“Monday’s game is the second time, according to Nielsen, that the Astros have played a game on CSN Houston that no one watched,” Ultimate Astros points out. “The first came Sept. 22, 2013, when the Astros had a day game in Cleveland opposite a Texans home game at Reliant Stadium that aired on KHOU (Channel 11). The Astros-Indians game came as the Astros were finishing a 15-game losing streak to end a 51-111 year, the worst in franchise history.”

The Astros, which endured an early name change from the Colt .45s and a recent switch from the National to the American League, have finished in last place the last three years. Despite winning two of three from the New York Yankees to open the season, the 3-6 Astros now find themselves in a familiar spot: last place.  

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