Ratings Roundup: Nearly 7 Billion Minutes of Live Sports Viewership Recorded on October 27th ‘2025 Sports Equinox’

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, NASCAR Xfinity Series on The CW concludes their season securing the most-watched season to date; Game 7 of The World Series on FOX Sports delivers over 27 million viewers; and more.

The NASCAR Cup Series Audience Dropped 15% This Season, Lowest Figure on Record

2.5 million viewers, according to SBJ. This was the first of a new rights deal across Fox, FS1, Prime Video, TNT/truTV, NBC and USA Network. Cup Series races that aired on broadcast TV in both 2025 and 2024 saw a 3% uptick this season, while races on cable both years were down 15%. Races that moved from broadcast to streaming were down 27%, while those moving from broadcast to cable — like many of the playoff races — were down 32%. Races that moved from cable to streaming jumped 2%.

Last Weekend’s College Football GameDay Sees Lowest Viewership Since Last October

As the Google vs. Disney dispute drags on, last weekend’s edition of College Football GameDay (9am-12pm ET) on ESPN/ESPNU averaged around 2 million viewers – the show’s lowest figure since October of last year, according to SBJ. Meanwhile, “Big Noon Nickoff” on Fox had its second-best figure of the season to date leading into Penn State-Ohio State, drawing 2.4 million viewers from 11am-12pm. That’s up 87% from last week as well. During the same window, “GameDay” had 2.5 million viewers.

NWSL on ESPN Scores 61% Increase in Viewership for the 2025 Regular Season

The 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) on ESPN season delivered record-breaking growth across ESPN platforms, scoring a 61 percent increase in average viewership for the regular season, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.

The 17-match schedule across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, Disney+, and ESPN Deportes averaged 228,000 viewers (P2+), up significantly from 141,000 viewers during the 2024 season – the inaugural year of NWSL on ESPN.

Presented by Ally, the second season of NWSL on ESPN underscores the surging momentum of women’s sports across ESPN platforms, joining the recent record-setting audiences for the WNBA and NCAA Women’s Basketball.

2025 NWSL on ESPN season Highlights

• Washington Spirit Drive Viewership: Three of the top five most-watched NWSL matches on ABC and ESPN featured the Washington Spirit, led by U.S. Women’s National Team star Trinity Rodman.
• Strong Female Viewership: For the second consecutive season, nearly 50 percent of the NWSL on ESPN audience was female, continuing to demonstrate the league’s broad appeal and connection with female fans.
• Record Growth on ESPN Deportes: NWSL on ESPN Deportes viewership surged 109 percent compared to the 2024 average audience, underscoring the league’s growing reach among Spanish-speaking fans.

Top 5 matches of the season:

Monday Night Football Cardinals at Cowboys draws 16.2 million viewers

ESPN’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Cardinals and Cowboys (November 3, 8:15 p.m. ET) generated 16.2 million viewers (ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and NFL+), ESPN’s second-highest Week 9 audience since 2011.

MNF season to date:

• 15.2 million viewers per game
• Second best start to the MNF season in 20 years
• Up 6% vs 2024

TNF Nightcap Averages Over 2 Million Viewers

The NASCAR Cup Series Averaged 2.476 Million Viewers, Down 14% YOY

Sunday’s event on NBC earned a 1.44 household rating and an average of 2.8 million viewers per minute, ranking as the #2 sport Sunday behind only the NFL.

The race ranks as the most-watched NCS Playoff race this season and since the Championship race last year (2.9 million).At peak, 3.6 million viewers were tuned in as Kyle Larson earned his 2nd career Cup Series Championship. Across race telecasts from Clash-Phoenix II (linear television only), the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series averaged 2.476 million viewers per minute, down -14% YOY (2.871 million).

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Airing opposite Game 7 of the World Series on FOX, as well as prime time NCAAF competition across multiple networks, Saturday’s event earned a 0.52 household rating on The CW, with an average of 992,000 viewers tuned in per minute.

At peak, 1.1 million viewers were tuned in as Jesse Love became the 2025 Xfinity Series Champion
NXS ranked as the #1 program of the week on The CW for the 31st time in 33 NXS races this season. Across all 33 NXS race telecasts exclusively on The CW in 2025, the series averaged 1.03 million viewers per minute, up +9% YOY and ranking as the most-watched Xfinity Series season since 2021.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Airing opposite Game 6 of the World Series on FOX, Friday night’s event earned a 0.21 household rating on FS1, with an average of 429,000 viewers tuned in per minute.

This ranks the most-watched NCTS race on FS1 since North Wilkesboro in May. The race ranked as the #2 sports event of the week on FS1 behind only NCAAF’s West Virginia/Houston game Saturday afternoon. At peak, 629,000 viewers were tuned in 9:30PM-9:45PM. Corey Heim
became the 2025 NCTS Champion Across all 25 NCTS race telecasts across FOX & FS1 in 2025, the series averaged 483,000 viewers per minute, down -5% YOY.

NFL Football: CBS’s Sunday afternoon National window was the #1 sports telecast of the week and earned a 13.49 household rating and 29.8 million viewers per minute. The window featured the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills exclusively.

Sunday games across FOX, CBS, and NBC averaged a 8.98 household rating with 19.4 million viewers per minute, up +11% vs. the comparable windows in the same week last year (17.5 million).

World Series (Major League Baseball): Airing opposite NXS, Saturday night’s World Series Game 7 between Toronto/L.A. Dodgers on FOX earned a 10.88 household rating and 25.8 million viewers per minute becoming the most-watched MLB game since Game 7 of the 2017 World Series between Houston/L.A. Dodgers (28.3 million). No YOY comparison.

The most recent World Series Game 7 aired in 2019 between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros, which aired on a Wednesday on FOX and earned 23.2 million viewers 2025 Game 7 ranked as the #2 sports event of the week behind only CBS’s NFL National window Sunday.The Los Angeles Dodgers won the series 4-3 for their second straight World Series title.

World Series Game 6 aired directly opposite of NCTS Phoenix and earned a 7.44 household rating and 17.13 million viewers tuned in on FOX. No YOY comparison. Last year the World Series was decided in 5 games and ended on a Wednesday night.

NCAA Football: ABC’s afternoon window featuring Georgia/Florida was the most-watched NCAAF game of the week earning a 3.41 household rating and 7.3 million viewers tuned in per minute, up +4% over the comparable window on ABC the same week last year (Florida/Georgia, 7.0 million).

Prime time NCAAF windows on ABC (Oklahoma/Tennessee, 4.5 million) and NBC (USC/Nebraska, 2.0 million) were down -20% and -27% respectively vs. comparable windows this same week last year. In 2024, this Saturday night did not feature Game 7 of the World Series.

Weekend Motorsports, ranked by audience size:

NCS (Phoenix II): 2.774 million viewers on NBC
NXS (Phoenix II): 992,000 viewers on The CW
NCTS (Phoenix): 429,000 viewers on FS1
NHRA (Las Vegas): 191,000 viewers on FS1

NASCAR Cup Series Championship – Aired Sunday, November 2nd on NBC

• U.S. Rating
  • 2025: 1.44 on NBC
    • Down -10% versus 2024 Phoenix Championship Weekend on NBC (1.60)
• Avg. Viewers (000) (all ages P2+)
  • 2025: 2,774 (2.8 million)
    • Down -4% versus 2024 Phoenix Championship Weekend on NBC (2.9 million)

NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship – Aired Saturday, November 1st on The CW

• U.S. Rating
  • 2025: 0.52 on The CW
    • Down -12% versus 2024 Phoenix Championship Weekend on The CW (0.59)
• Avg. Viewers (all ages P2+)
  • 2025: 992,000
    • Down -11% versus 2024 Phoenix Championship Weekend on The CW (1.1 million)

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship -Aired Friday, October 31st on FS1

• U.S. Rating
  • 2025: 0.21 on FS1
    • Down -13% versus 2024 Phoenix Championship Weekend on FS1 (0.24)
• Avg. Viewers (all ages P2+)
  • 2025: 429,000
    • Down -11% versus 2024 Phoenix Championship Weekend on FS1 (480,000)

Nielsen: 2025 Sports Equinox Draws 6.9 Billion Minutes of Live Sports Viewership On October 27

An estimated 6.9 billion minutes of live sports viewing were consumed during the 2025 Sports Equinox on Monday, October 27 (and into the early morning of Tuesday, October 28), according to Nielsen. This year’s Sports Equinox showcased televised games across five American sports leagues, including MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS.

Nielsen is the leader in audience measurement for live sports, with two recent enhancements further reinforcing its innovation in the space. Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel measurement combines Nielsen’s unique, high-quality representative panel measurement with data from cable, satellite set-top boxes and smart TVs across 45 million households and 75 million devices. The company also expanded its National Out of Home panel to cover 100% of the U.S. in 2025.

“We continue to see an incredible demand for live sports viewership across all platforms and leagues, as evidenced by this epic sports equinox,” noted Brian Fuhrer, SVP, Product Strategy & Thought Leadership, Nielsen. “The major sports leagues and their broadcast partners are doing such a phenomenal job of delivering the most compelling games wherever audiences are watching.”

The “sports equinox” events included the following:

• MLB:

  • Game 3 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers (FOX, Fox Deportes, Fox One, Fubo, DirecTV, and Hulu.)

• NFL:

  • “Monday Night Football” between the Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs (ABC/ESPN)

• NBA: 11 games

  • Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons (Peacock)

  • Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets (Peacock and ESPN)

  • San Antonio Spurs vs. Toronto Raptors (ESPN,  SportsNet, FanDuel Sports Network Southwest, and Fubo)

  • Philadelphia 76ers vs. Orlando Magic (NBC Sports Philadelphia, FanDuel Sports Network, Fubo and Peacock)

  • Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks (FanDuel Sports Network Southeast and Chicago Sports Network).

  • Houston Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets (YES Network and Space City Home Network)a

  • New Orleans Pelicans vs Boston Celtics (NBC Sports Boston and the Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network)

  • Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (KFAA, FanDuel Sports Network, Fubo, NBA League Pass)

  • Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz  (KJZZ, Jazz+, AZFamily, and Suns+, Fubo)

  • Golden St Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies (NBC Sports Bay Area and FanDuel Sports Network, and Fubo)

  • Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trailblazers (KUNP, SportsNet LA, and Fubo)

• NHL: 2 games:

  • Ottawa Senators vs. Boston Bruins (ESPN+ and NESN)

  • St Louis Blues vs Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL Network, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, FanDuel Sports Network Midwest)

• MLS: 2 playoff games:

  • FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew (FS1, Fox Deportes, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)

  • Minnesota United FC vs. Seattle Sounders (FS1, FOX Deportes, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. fuboTV)

College GameDay and ESPN College Football on ABC Win Week 10

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot averaged 2.0 million linear viewers from Utah, continuing its record-setting season with 2.7 million average viewers per show, up 25 percent year-over-year.

GameDay reached 6.5 million viewers on linear, with 1.2 million viewers reached via an X/Twitter simulcast, hosted by The Pat McAfee Show, the first time the show has been streamed on social media.

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be live from Lubbock, Texas ahead of the Big 12 game of the year, as No. 8 Texas Tech hosts the undefeated seventh-ranked BYU Cougars. The premier college football pregame show will originate from outside Jones AT&T Stadium on the west side green space from 9 a.m. – noon ET on ESPN, ESPNU and Disney+.

ABC Scores 3 of Week 10’s Best 4 Games

ESPN networks showcased a strong performance in Week 10, airing three of the top four most-watched college football games. Georgia-Florida led the week with 7.8 million viewers, marking the largest audience on record for this rivalry in a full national window. Oklahoma at Tennessee on ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One ranked third overall with 4.8 million viewers, followed by Vanderbilt-Texas at 4.5 million. ABC averaged 5.7 million viewers across the tripleheader, marking the network’s most-watched Week 10 since 2013.

Through 10 weeks, ABC is setting records, averaging 6.9 million viewers through Week 10, the network’s best performance on record and up 22 percent year-over-year, with nine of the top ten games airing on the network. ESPN networks are averaging 2.2 million viewers — their highest since 2010 and up 18 percent year-over-year — while owning 17 of the top 20 games this season.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Concludes First Full Year on The CW Network With Most-Watched Season

The NASCAR Xfinity Series reached the finish line of its 2025 season on Saturday, November 1, with a thrilling championship race from Phoenix Raceway, wrapping its first full season on The CW Network as the most-watched in four years. Through 33 races, the NASCAR Xfinity Series averaged 1,034,000 total viewers per week, according to Nielsen, an increase of 10 percent compared to last season, as well as a seven percent gain in adults ages 18-49. The championship race, which saw Jesse Love emerge as the season winner, drew 1,015,000 total viewers and peaked at 1,191,000 total viewers from 9:30-9:45pm ET.

“Over the course of its first year on The CW, the NASCAR Xfinity Series has helped transform the network into a premium destination for sports,” says Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network. “The success and growth of the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year showcases the unmatched power of broadcast television to connect with fans, both locally and nationally. We’re grateful for our partnership with the amazing team at NASCAR Productions, whose dedication helped make this inaugural season truly unforgettable. To our talent, our team, the drivers, the crews, and everyone that worked so hard this year, we can’t wait to carry this incredible momentum into Daytona in 2026!”

“The CW’s first full year with the NASCAR Xfinity Series has connected our sport with fans in an exciting new way,” says Brian Herbst, NASCAR EVP, Chief Media & Revenue Officer. “By combining world-class racing with fresh storytelling and broad accessibility, we’ve been able to deliver incredible moments to both life-long fans and first-time viewers. We can’t wait to bring even more excitement to The CW in 2026.”

The NASCAR Xfinity Series began its 2025 season on The CW at full speed, with the opening race from Daytona International Speedway delivering 1.8 million total viewers, the largest audience for any Xfinity Series race in almost three years. From there, the series never took its foot off the gas with the first 13 races each drawing over one million total viewers for the first time in nearly a decade. The network also introduced a revised graphic package for the series, highlighted by the horizontal standings board at the bottom of the screen, and utilized the new NASCAR Productions state-of-the-art studio facility to bring viewers closer to the on-track action than ever before. The CW also partnered with major sponsors and advertisers through integrations and initiatives throughout the season that elevated brands on both a national and local level.

NASCAR will return to The CW next year with the 2026 series beginning on Saturday, February 14, 2026, with NASCAR COUNTDOWN LIVE from the Daytona International Speedway infield at 4:00pm ET, followed by the green flag at 5:00pm ET. Play-by-play announcer Adam Alexander will return to the broadcast booth in 2026 alongside analysts Jamie McMurray and Parker Kligerman.

FOX Sports Wraps Unforgettable Postseason as Epic World Series Game 7 Delivers 27.3 Million Viewers

The Los Angeles Dodgers sealed their back-to-back championship in epic fashion, as FOX Sports’ presentation of the decisive Game 7 of the 2025 World Series presented by Capital One delivered 27,330,000 viewers across FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports streaming platforms – ranking as the most-watched World Series game since 2017’s Game 7 (HOU-LAD: 29,069,000 viewers).

On FOX, the 11-inning Fall Classic conclusion delivered an average audience of 26,882,000 viewers and peaked at 33,064,000 from 11:45 PM-12:00 AM ET – the most-watched World Series game since 2017’s Game 7 (HOU-LAD: 28,287,000 viewers). That number is up +16% over the most recent World Series Game 7 in 2019 (WAS-HOU: 23,187,000 viewers) and ranks as FOX’s most-watched Saturday prime time telecast since January 18, 2025.

Through seven games on FOX, the 121st World Series delivered an average of 15,709,000 viewers – the best complete average for a World Series since 2017 (18,926,000 viewers) and up +2% over last year’s average for five games (15,336,000 viewers).

The complete 2025 MLB Postseason on FOX, FS1 and FS2 averaged 8,088,000 viewers, up +8% over last year’s average (7,520,000 viewers) and FOX Sports’ best Postseason since 2017.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2025 WORLD SERIES ON FOX:

LOCAL MARKET DELIVERIES

On FOX, Game 7 drew a 22.2/62 rating in Los Angeles, peaking at 26.5/66 from 12:15-12:30 AM ET.

Top available markets for the entire 2025 World Series include:

• Los Angeles                17.6/53
• San Diego                   10.9/40
• Seattle                         9.6/37
• St. Louis                      9.2/26
• Milwaukee                   9.2/27
• Las Vegas                   9.1/32
• Portland                      9.1/34
• Buffalo                         8.9/24
• Sacramento                8.9/31
• Minneapolis                 8.7/27

PREGAME SHOW

On FOX, the network’s pregame show – featuring Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Burkhardt – averaged 3,408,000 viewers for seven telecasts, its best showing since 2021 (3,990,000 viewers).

FOX DIGITAL

FOX Sports’ digital platforms and streaming services recorded historic engagement throughout the 2025 World Series.

Game 7 was the most-viewed World Series game in FOX Sports history with a total average minute audience (AMA) of 752,731.

FOX Sports delivered 1.3 billion views for the World Series across @MLBonFOX social media channels, up +96% vs. 2024 (664M).

FOX DEPORTES

FOX Deportes’ coverage of Game 7 averaged 448,000 viewers – the most-watched Game 7 on Spanish language television since 2019 (WAS-HOU: 613,000 viewers).