For those fearing record-low ratings for the World Series, the matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays is exceeding expectations. The audiences for the first two games on Fox Sports were down only 6% compared to Games 1 and 2 from last year's Fall Classic between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.
"I think they've probably surpassed everybody's expectations. I think very few people, including me, would've guessed that we'd be down 6% through two games. We're really satisfied," said Mike Mulvihill, Fox Sports president for insight and analytics.
Milwaukee's 3-2 win in Game 1 last Friday averaged 12.26 million viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes, Fox One streaming, the Fox Sports app and Univision. The Brewers' 5-4 victory in Game 2, which did not include Univision coverage, averaged 10.85 million. Both games were the most-watched broadcast of the night.
With two small-market teams vying for the championship, many predicted early ratings could rival the 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, the least-watched on record with a 9.11 million average. The difference this year is that Milwaukee has a steady base of fans in the Midwest and has been a consistent contender the past couple of seasons. This is also a matchup of the two teams with the best records in baseball this season.
"I do think there's something helpful about having a traditional team from the Midwest in the series. And the fact that they were able to take down the two-time defending champs and do it in really convincing fashion, I think that helps build some interest for the World Series," Mulvihill said. The Fox-only average for the first two games is 11.05 million. Fox may be watching closely as Monday's Game 3, a 10-1 Milwaukee blowout, faced stiff competition from "Monday Night Football."
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing