MLB Postseason Boosts Viewership in the United States
Major League Baseball (MLB) is experiencing its most-watched postseason in the United States since 2017, according to data collected through the League Championship Series. The average audience is 4.48 million viewers, which represents a 13% increase compared to the previous year. Much of this increase is due to the first two rounds of playoffs. The American League Championship Series (ALCS) broadcast by Fox, Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes and streaming platforms, averaged 4.99 million viewers across the seven games.This number is similar to that of last year’s ALCS, where the New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians in five games.
The Dodgers’ series against the Brewers, which was swept by the Dodgers in four games, averaged 3.51 million viewers. The Toronto Blue Jays’ victory over the Seattle Mariners in Game 7, with a score of 4-3, drew 9.03 million viewers, becoming the most-watched ALCS game in eight years. The audience peaked at 12.35 million during the ninth inning. In addition to the United States, MLB has experienced significant growth in Canada and Japan. Toronto’s victory, which took them to the World Series for the first time since 1993, averaged 6 million viewers in Canada, being the most watched Blue Jays game on Sportsnet. Ohtani’s outstanding performance in Game 4 averaged 10.26 million viewers in Japan, the second most-watched LCS game in the country’s history. The 16-hour time difference between Tokyo and Los Angeles meant that the game was broadcast on Saturday morning in Japan. The NLCS averaged a record 7.34 million viewers in Japan, a 26% increase compared to the previous year, as fans continue to follow Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki in record numbers.
