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Must-see TV

All-Star Game ratings up 9 percent from last year

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All-Star TV Ratings All-Star Game television ratings and shares. The rating represents the percentage of television households tuned to a program. The share is the percentage tuned in among televisions on at the time. Year  Network  Rating  Share  2001  FOX  11.0  19  2000  NBC  10.1  18  1999  FOX  12.0  22  1998  NBC  13.3  25  1997  FOX  11.8  21  1996  NBC  13.2  23  1995  ABC  13.9  25  1994  NBC  15.7  28  1993  CBS  15.6  28  1992  CBS  14.9  27  1991  CBS  17.4  32  1990  CBS  16.2  33  1989  NBC  18.2  33  1988  ABC  20.4  33  1987  NBC  18.2  37  1986  ABC  20.3  35  1985  NBC  20.5  36  1984  ABC  20.1  35  1983  NBC  21.5  39  1982  ABC  25.0  44  1981  NBC  20.1  36  1980  ABC  26.8  46  1979  NBC  24.4  45  1978  ABC  26.1  47  1977  NBC  24.5  45  1976  ABC  27.1  53  1975  NBC  21.5  41  1974  NBC  23.4  44  1973  NBC  23.8  45  1972  NBC  22.9  43  1971  NBC  27.0  50  1970  NBC  28.5  54  1969  NBC  15.1  42  1968  NBC  25.8  49  1967  NBC  25.6  50

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Midsummer Classic drew TV ratings 9 percent higher than 2000, reversing a trend that has seen All-Star Game viewership suffer big declines in the NFL, NBA and NHL.

Fox Sports' broadcast of the American League's 4-1 victory over the NL at Seattle's Safeco Field on Tuesday night produced an 11 rating and 19 share.

Last year's All-Star Game, which a host of marquee players missed with injuries, wound up with a 10.1 rating -- the worst since the showcase contest first aired in prime time in 1967.

The gathering of baseball's best consistently drew ratings above 20 throughout the 1970s and '80s, with shares in the mid-30s to 40s.

Each ratings point represents 1 percent of U.S. TV households -- today that's about 1 million homes per ratings point -- and the share is the percentage of in-use TVs tuned to a given program.

Ratings plummeted this year for the NBA All-Star Game (down 26 percent), the NHL All-Star Game (down 35 percent) and the NFL Pro Bowl (down 45 percent).

Fans in Seattle watched more than any other market in the country, with a 38.1 rating and whopping 64 share. The tune-in was higher this year than last in 33 of the country's largest 51 markets.

The peak audience was from 10-10:30 p.m. EDT -- which included a special ceremony honoring Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, who will both retire at the end of the season -- when the rating was 12.0. Viewership declined from 10:30 p.m. to the end of the broadcast.

Ripken, playing in his final All-Star GGame at age 40, hit a home run in the third inning and was selected MVP.