The NLCS Was Less Popular Than The Walking Dead And Blue Bloods: Last Week's TV Ratings, In Context

A weekly feature wherein we contextualize TV ratings for national sports broadcasts. Data via Nielsen and Sports Business Journal's John Ourand. Viewership numbers represent approximate number of persons tuned to a given program; ratings share refers to the percentage of all households using a television who are turned into that program.

Monday, Oct. 15: Monday Night Football: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers (ESPN): 12.8 million viewers NLCS Game 2: St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants (FOX): 5.6 million viewers Dancing with the Stars (ABC): 13.6 million viewers The Voice (NBC): 13.0 million viewers

Tuesday, Oct. 16: ALCS Game 3: New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers (TBS): 6.2 million viewers World Cup qualifying: El Salvador at Mexico (Univision): 3.6 million viewers World Cup qualifying: Guatemala at USA (Telefutura): 730,000 viewers Presidential debate (FOX News): 11.1 million viewers Presidential debate (CNN): 5.8 million viewers Presidential debate (MSNBC): 4.9 million viewers The Voice (NBC): 12.0 million viewers

Wednesday, Oct. 17: ALCS Game 4: New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers [rain delay coverage] (TBS): 3.7 million viewers Duck Dynasty (A&E): 3.9 million viewers

Thursday, Oct. 18: Thursday Night Football: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (NFL Network): 7.0 million viewers ALCS Game 4: New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers (TBS): 5.3 million viewers NLCS Game 4: San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals (FOX): 6.0 million viewers The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 15.7 million viewers

Friday, Oct. 19: NLCS Game 5; San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals (FOX): 7.1 million viewers Blue Bloods (CBS): 10.2 million viewers

Saturday, Oct. 20: NCAA football: LSU at Texas A&M (ESPN): 4.2 million viewers NCAA football: Alabama at Tennessee (ESPN): 4.2 million viewers NCAA football: Florida State at Miami or Baylor at Texas [ coverage map] (ABC): 4.8 million viewers NCAA football: Kansas State at West Virginia (FOX): 2.5 million viewers Law & Order: SVU, rerun (NBC): 3.7 million viewers

Sunday, Oct. 21: Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals (NBC): 17.5 million viewers NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas (ESPN): 3.9 million viewers NLCS Game 6: St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants (FOX): 7.6 million viewers Hank Parker 3D (NBCSN): 147,000 viewers [Note: This Sunday morning hunting show was NBCSN's most viewed program of the week.] The Walking Dead (AMC): 9.5 million viewers