World Series Ratings: Royals’ Game 5 Clincher Most-Watched Game 5 Since 2003
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The 2015 World Series wrapped up Sunday night with the Kansas City Royals taking the title for the first time in 30 years. The Royals’ dramatic Game 5 comeback scored a 10.0/17 household rating/share with 17.2 million viewers making it the most-watched Game 5 since 2003 (19.9 million, Yankees-Marlins).
Ratings highlights from Game 5 included:
- Game 5 is up +37% in rating and average audience over 2014 Royals-Giants Game 5 (7.3/12, 12.6 million) last year.
- It is the highest-rated World Series Game 5 since 2009 (10.6/16, Yankees-Phillies). Viewership peaked from 11:30-11:45 PM ET at 19.4 million viewers.
- Last night’s broadcast posted hefty year-to-year increases across key demos including: M12-24, +45% (3.2 vs. 2.2); M18-34, +39% (4.6 vs. 3.3); M25-54, +54% (7.4 vs. 4.8); and A18-49, +55% (5.1 vs. 3.3).
- Kansas City posted a 60.0/80, the highest rated single market for a World Series Game since Phoenix posted a 62.3/80 for Yankees-Diamondbacks 2001 Game 7. New York followed with a 25.5/40 for last night’s game.
- St. Louis (20.4), Hartford (15.3), Tulsa (14.7), Portland (13.8), Phoenix (13.7), Las Vegas (13.5), Seattle (13.1) and Dallas (11.9) round out the top 10 markets.
- FOX Deportes’ Spanish-language telecast of Game 5 averaged 296,000 total viewers, the most for a World Series Game 5 telecast in the channel’s history, +41% for total viewers vs. last year’s Game 5 (210,000). The game peaked from 12:00-12:15 AM ET with 425,000 viewers, making it the most-watched quarter-hour this postseason.
- World Series Game 5 was the second most-watched MLB game in FOX Sports GO’s history with more than 160,000 unique streamers.
As a whole, the 2015 World Series reeled in some impressive numbers:
- This year’s Fall Classic averaged an 8.7/16 household rating/share with 14.7 million viewers, +6% better than last year’s full seven-game performance (8.2/14, 13.8 million).
- This World Series out-rated four of the seven previous World Series played (2008, 2010, 2012 & 2014).
- The World Series has provided FOX prime time victories on Adults 18-49 in four of the five nights it aired.
- The World Series ranks as the fifth highest-rated program in all of prime time television this season.
- Ranks as the best five-game average since 2009 (11.4/19, 18.7 million).
- Compared to the first five games of last year’s World Series, 2015 was +21% in rating and viewership (7.2/13, 12.1 million).
- Notable demographic increases vs. 2014 (five game avg.): M12-17, +19% (1.9 vs. 1.6); M12-24, +24% (2.6 vs. 2.1); M18-34, +12% (3.8 vs. 3.4); M18-49, +30% (5.2 vs. 4.0); M25-54, +32% (6.2 vs. 4.7) and A18-49, +32% (4.1 vs. 3.1).
- Viewership of the 2015 World Series on FOX Sports GO was up 136% year-over-year.