Major League Baseball is poised for a remarkable World Series, coinciding with the most-viewed League Championship Series in the past seven years.
As per Nielsen ratings, the two championship series accumulated an average of 5.35 million viewers across Fox, FS1, and TBS, marking the highest figures since 2017.
In particular, Game 1 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) aired on October 13, featuring a matchup between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers, which saw an impressive average of 20.6 million viewers collectively from the United States and Japan.
Japan alone contributed an estimated 12.1 million viewers, making it the second most-watched MLB postseason event in the country’s historical records.
Notably, the highest viewership was recorded on October 11, when approximately 12.9 million individuals tuned in to witness the Dodgers’ 2-0 win against the San Diego Padres in a decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
For the NLCS that unfolded over six games, Fox and FS1 reported an average of 5.62 million viewers, a notable increase making it the most-watched championship series since 2019.
Meanwhile, the American League Championship Series (ALCS) featured the New York Yankees clashing with the Cleveland Guardians on TBS, which averaged 4.9 million viewers.
Game 5 of the ALCS, where the Yankees secured their place in the World Series for the first time since 2009 with a 5-2 win in ten innings, attracted an average of 5.6 million viewers, reflecting a significant 33% rise over Game 5 from the previous year’s ALCS showdown between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers.
As the postseason progresses towards the first game of the World Series, which pits the New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the overall postseason viewing average stands at 3.96 million, representing a 5% increase compared to last year.
This World Series marks the first encounter between the Dodgers and Yankees in 43 years, invigorating hopes for a resurgence in viewership after last year’s historically low ratings.
The previous five-game World Series featuring the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks averaged just 9.11 million viewers, with Game 3 recording the lowest viewership in World Series history at 8.13 million.
In contrast, the 2018 series between the Boston Red Sox and the Dodgers garnered an average of 14.1 million viewers.
While Fox and MLB would be ecstatic if viewership could soar to the 22.9 million average witnessed in 2016, when the Chicago Cubs claimed their first championship since 1908, expectations set by Mike Mulvihill, Fox’s president of insights and analytics, suggest hopes for a substantial increase.
“We anticipate viewing figures that reflect at least a five-year high, and perhaps even aspire for an eight-year high,” Mulvihill stated.
This upcoming World Series presents a valuable opportunity for Fox to captivate audiences and rekindle excitement in baseball, particularly with the Dodgers and Yankees’ storied rivalry taking the stage.