World Series Ratings Roundup: Fox Posts Most-Watched Game 5 Since 1997

Sunday night’s World Series Game 5 posted a 13.1/21 household rating/share with 23.6 million on the Fox broadcast network to rank as the most-watched World Series Game 5 since 1997’s 24.2 million for the Miami Marlins- Cleveland Indians matchup (according to Nielsen Fast Nationals). Combined with Fox Deportes (342,000 viewers) and Fox Sports GO (135,587 average-minute audience), World Series Game 5 registered 24.1 million total viewers.

Sunday night’s World Series Game 5 is the highest-rated Game 5 since 2003’s 13.2/21 for the New York Yankees and Marlins and is the most-watched baseball telecast of any kind since the 2011 World Series Game 7 between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals (25.4 million viewers).  Game 5 easily ranks as Fox’s highest-rated and most-watched primetime telecast of the broadcast season.

Compared with last year’s World Series Game 5 clincher between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals, Sunday night’s contest is up 37% on average audience (vs. 17.2 million) and 31% in household rating (vs. 10.0/17). Sunday night is 79% better than 2014’s Royals vs. San Francisco Giants Game 5 (vs. 7.3/12).

Through five games, the 2016 World Series is averaging an 11.0/19 household rating/share with 19.3 million viewers to rank as the most-watched World Series through the first five games since 2004’s historic matchup between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals (25.4 million viewers for a four-game sweep).

Fox expects to easily win Sunday night in prime time. In the male demos, Fox saw significant increases for Sunday night’s game over last year in M12-17 (+52%; 3.5 vs. 2.3), M18-34 (+39%; 6.4 vs. 4.6), M18-49 (+29%; 8.1 vs. 6.3), and M25-54 (+27%; 9.4 vs. 7.4). In A18-49,  Game 5 is up 31% (6.7 vs. 5.1).

Fox Deportes averaged 342,000 total viewers, which ranks as the most-watched World Series game on Spanish-language television since Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. Sunday night’s Game 5 is up 16% over last year (vs. 216,000 viewers). Fox Sports GO’s average-minute audience of 135,587 is a new record for an authenticated event.

Game 4 Delivers Best Saturday Audience Since 2004
Between Fox, Fox Deportes and Fox Sports GO, World Series Game 4 delivered 17 million viewers (according Nielsen Fast Nationals and streaming figures from Adobe Analytics). Saturday night’s 7-2 victory by the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago Cubs scored a 9.3/18 fast national rating/share with 16.7 million viewers for Fox, up 19% (vs. 7.8/15) and 23% (vs. 13.6 million viewers) over last year’s World Series Game 4.

The telecast is the most-watched World Series Game airing on a Saturday since 2004’s St. Louis Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox matchup (23.2 million viewers) and is the most-watched World Series Game 4 since 2009’s New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies matchup (22.8 million viewers), which aired on a Sunday night. Last night’s 9.3/18 is up 48% over 2014’s World Series Game 4 between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants (vs. 6.3/12).

Fox continues to see gains in male demos this World Series with Saturday night’s game up over last year in M12-17 (+92%; 2.5 vs. 1.3), M18-34 (+37%; 3.7 vs. 2.7), M18-49 (+24%; 5.1 vs. 4.1), and M25-54 (+21%; 6.3 vs. 5.2). In A18-49, last night’s Game 4 is up 24% over last year (4.2 vs. 3.4).

World Series Game 4 on Fox Deportes averaged 212,000 viewers. Fox Sports GO added an average-minute audience of 88,000 for last night’s telecast.