The World Series with the dramatic Dodgers – Yankees games is getting new record ratings in TV averaging 14.55 million viewers in the U.S. putting it on track for its best performance since 2017.
It is also the first time since ten years that the World Series has drawn back-to-back games of at least 13.4 million viewers.
According to Nielsen, the matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers has also meant a 93% increase in viewership within the 18-34-year-old demographic. According to MLB, social engagement is up 225% and views on social channels have increased 229%.
The biggest sensation: The Series has even more viewers in Japan than in the US.
The World Series is averaging 15.15 million viewers in Japan through two games. According to Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 2 averaged 15.9 million, making it the most-watched MLB postseason game in Japan’s history.
Besides the allure of superstar and presumptive NL MVP Shohei Ohtani, the game had Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher. So it really was a Japanese affair.
Tokyo is 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles, meaning the games started around 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday morning in Japan. The games are being carried through Fuji TV, NHK BS and J Sports.
Combined with the United States ratings, the first two games have a combined 29.7 million average in the two countries.
