The Big Lead

World Series news: Fox ratings finish on seven-year high

By J.P. Hoornstra

Oct 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) celebrates with the Commissioner’s Trophy after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in game four to win the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium.
Oct 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) celebrates with the Commissioner’s Trophy after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in game four to win the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The only thing the 2024 World Series ratings lacked were an extra two games.

As it stood, the Los Angeles Dodgers' five-game victory over the New York Yankees delivered an average of 15.2 million viewers to Fox, the highest for any World Series since 2017.

Across all networks, including Univision's coverage of Game 1, the World Series averaged 15,808,000 viewers, the best combined figure for the Fall Classic since the 2017 series between Los Angeles and the Houston Astros.

Last year’s five-game series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks averaged 9.1 million viewers on Fox. The 67 percent year-over-year improvement is a testament to the ability of two big-market teams with ample star power on both sides to deliver in the cord-cutting era.

The World Series was also a showcase of the strength of interest in MLB among fans in Japan. Despite airing at 9 a.m., fans there tuned in to see native sons Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto with more fervor than ever. The average of 12.1 million viewers in Japan for the five-game series peaked with Yamamoto on the mound in Game 2.

Fox said the Dodgers' Game 5 clincher was its most-streamed World Series game ever, with a total average minute audience (AMA) of 487,386. The AMA of 368,808 across the five games was its all-time high for a World Series, up 123 percent from last year.

After Los Angeles, the most popular market for the World Series was not New York but San Diego (in which 41 percent of TV-watching households were tuned in, compared to 33 percent in the New York market).

Fox said the complete 2024 MLB Postseason averaged 7,485,000 viewers, up 42 percent compared to last year’s average (5,265,000) and Fox Sports’ best postseason through Game 5 of the World Series since 2017.

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