While virtually everything else in sports is down, MLB viewership on Regional Sports Networks was up +5% for the abbreviated 2020 regular season. That’s for the 25 teams whose RSNs report demographic data.

The +5% gain in RSN MLB viewership easily outpaced the trend of all national MLB partners, showing again that baseball’s power is in its intense localism.

Baseball’s RSN growth was clearly aided by the introduction of out-of-home measurement, which skews young.

MLB was -11% in HH rating, but up +5% in viewers and up a stunning +53% among Adults 18-34 and +31% among Adults 18-49.

Cleveland was the top-rated market of the season for local MLB. Indians games averaged a 6.6 rating locally, easily more than doubling the league-wide average.