The thrilling extra-inning matchup where the Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays by one run attracted a combined 51 million viewers across the US, Canadian, and Japan markets. MLB reported this marks the most-watched World Series finale after the 1991 edition contest between the Twins and Braves.
Broadcast Ratings Breakdown
The Saturday memorable game secured over 27 million audience members on Fox channels, its Spanish-language channel and their streaming platforms. According to ratings data, it was the second most-watched broadcast of the week.
It also stands as the top-rated Fall Classic matchup since the 2017 edition Game 7 involving the Dodgers and Astros, which drew over 29 million. This represents a 16% increase compared to the previous finale between the Nationals and Astros, which drew 23.19 million.
In the Nielsen ratings, the sixth game placed 4th, the fourth game was 7th, Game 5 was 8th, and Game 3 landed in 13th position.
International Viewership Figures
In Canada, the climactic game recorded over 11 million viewers on Sportsnet and the French TVA Sports channel. This was the most-watched English broadcast in the country since the 2010 edition Winter Olympics.
In the Japanese market, where the deciding contest began at 9 p.m. local time, it drew 12M. This came after last Friday’s sixth game – in which Fall Classic MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed one run in six frames – averaged 13.1 million viewers, making it the highest-rated Fall Classic matchup on a single network in the country.
Overall Averages and Patterns
The entire seven-match World Series drew 15.71 million viewers on Fox, a two percent increase from the previous year’s Dodgers versus Yankees matchup. This marks the first time since 2015 and ‘16 that the Fall Classic has seen viewership growth for two straight years.
Including the Game 1 broadcast on Univision, the complete American viewership was 16.1 million. The total World Series viewership in the Japanese market was 9.7 million and 8.1 million in Canada.
The complete playoffs on Fox, FS1 and FS2 recorded 8.09 million viewers, an eight percent rise over the previous year and the network’s strongest playoff performance since 2017.
Major League Baseball announced that the Fall Classic was televised in 203 nations and regions by 44 media partners in 16 different tongues.
