Fall Classic Game 7 Captures 51 Million Viewers Across the US, Canadian and Japanese Markets.
The exciting 11-inning clash where the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 attracted a combined 51M spectators across the United States, Canada, and Japanese territories. MLB announced this marks the most-watched Fall Classic Game 7 after the 1991 showdown featuring the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves.
Broadcast Viewership Breakdown
Last Saturday’s memorable game averaged 27.33M audience members on Fox Sports channels, its Spanish-language channel and Fox’s streaming platforms. Per ratings data, it was the second highest-rated program of the previous week.
It also stands as the top-rated World Series game since the 2017 Game 7 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Astros, which drew over 29 million. This marks a 16% improvement compared to the previous finale featuring the Nationals and Astros, which drew 23.19 million viewers.
In the weekly rankings, Game 6 placed fourth, Game 4 was seventh, the fifth game came in eighth, and the third game finished in thirteenth position.
International Audience Numbers
In the Canadian market, the game recorded 11.6M watchers on the Sportsnet network and the French-language TVA Sports. This made it the most-watched English-language program in the country since the 2010 Winter Olympics.
In Japan, where the deciding game began at 9 p.m. local time, it attracted 12 million. This came after the previous Friday’s Game 6 – where World Series Most Valuable Player Yamamoto gave up one run in six frames – averaged over 13 million viewers, making it the most-watched Fall Classic game on a sole broadcaster in Japan.
Overall Averages and Trends
The entire seven-game World Series recorded 15.71 million audience members on the Fox network, a 2% rise from last year’s Dodgers versus Yankees matchup. This marks the first time since 2015 and ‘16 that the Fall Classic has recorded viewership growth for two consecutive seasons.
Including the Game 1 telecast on Univision, the total US viewership was over 16 million. The overall Fall Classic viewership in the Japanese market was 9.7M and 8.1 million in the Canadian market.
The full playoffs on Fox and its sister channels drew 8.09 million watchers, an 8% increase over last year and Fox’s strongest postseason ratings since the 2017 season.
MLB stated that the Fall Classic was televised in 203 countries and territories by forty-four media partners in 16 various languages.
