Major League Fishing (MLF) has proved to be a dominating force with bass fishing fans, towering over competitive bass fishing programming on television by most ratings and viewership measurements. With fans seeking content on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network and others, MLF eclipses competitive bass fishing programming on television and easily stands alone as cable’s most-watched fishing competition.
A person reaching for a fish while being filmed for television.
Description automatically generated“It’s clear to us, despite competitors’ claims to the contrary, that Major League Fishing is by far the pre-eminent viewing choice of bass fishing fans wanting to watch top-caliber competition on television,” Major League Fishing President and CEO Jim Wilburn stated. “Numbers don’t lie, and the ratings and viewership numbers back up our claims.”
With more than 1,300 combined hours of television coverage, Major League Fishing, which airs on cable partners: Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, Discovery Channel and CBS Sports, has accounted for a staggering 86% of all viewership of competitive bass fishing programs on cable television during the past four quarters (Q3 2019 to Q2 2020).*
During the 2020 season, Major League Fishing has averaged 97,000 viewing households in just its anchor time period on Outdoor Channel, making it the top-rated show on the network for the fifth consecutive year, surpassing the average number of households that viewed its top competitor’s championship series on ESPN2 by +3%, despite its competitor benefiting from nearly triple the distribution.✝︎
Fans of Major League Fishing seek it out regardless of the network including World Fishing Network which is delivering +10% more households than its top competitor’s elite series on Pursuit Channel, despite having just one-seventh of the distribution.✦
For more information about Major League Fishing and Outdoor Sportsman Group Networks visit: www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and www.outdoorsg.com
About Major League Fishing: Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). The Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV. MLF uses the entertaining and conservation-friendly catch, weigh and immediate-release format where every scorable bass counts and the winner is the angler with the highest cumulative weight.
In late 2019 MLF acquired FLW, which expands their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, as well as the Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, and Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing. For more in-depth coverage, see Game & Fish magazine, the official publication of MLF.
About Outdoor Channel: Outdoor Channel has been taking viewers across America and around the world on unparalleled adventures since 1993. Dedicated to the outdoor lifestyle and conservation, the independent cable network is a division of Outdoor Sportsman Group and provides a complete spectrum of riveting hunting, fishing, shooting and adventure entertainment. Outdoor Channel is the largest outdoor TV footprint in the country and is available in more than 50 countries internationally. Outdoor Channel can be viewed in HD and is accessible by broadband and mobile platforms. For program times and other information, visit www.outdoorchannel.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. #WhatGetsYouOutdoors. #MyOutdoorTV
About Sportsman Channel: Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel/Sportsman HD/Sportsman Channel Canada (added in 2019) are television and digital media networks fully devoted to honoring a lifestyle that is celebrated by millions of North Americans. A division of Outdoor Sportsman Group, Sportsman Channel/Sportsman Canada delivers entertaining and informative programming that showcases outdoor adventure, hunting and fishing, and illustrates it through unique and authentic storytelling. Sportsman Channel/Sportsman Channel Canada embrace the attitude of celebrating the Great Outdoors in equal measure. Stay connected to Sportsman Channel online at thesportsmanchannel.com, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. #IAmSportsman. #MyOutdoorTV
*Source: Comscore, Live+7 Average Audience, 7/1/19-6/28/20, Percent of cumulative viewing to all competitive fishing shows across all cable networks.
✝︎Source: Nielsen, Live+7 Average Audience, 12/30/19-6/28/20, MLF: Outdoor Channel, Saturday 2P-4P vs. Bassmaster Classic, ESPN 2. Household Universe Estimates: ESPN2-82.5MM vs OUTD-30.5MM
✦Source: Comscore, Live+7 Average Audience, 12/30/19-6/28/20, Program Average, Major League Fishing on WFN vs Bassmasters Elite Series on Pursuit.
