Lowest rated WS game 1 in history

[Radioguy41]

Game 1 of this years World Series was the least watched game 1 in World Series TV history. Looks like this is the "who cares" World Series. Outside of Texas and Arizona there seems to be very little interest. Sad, really, but that's what this playoff format has the potential to lead to. When you let half the teams in and the wrong ones get hot at the wrong time this is what you end up with. Bravo MLB, your campaign to destroy the game is working. Stupid rules changes, a dumb pitch clock, designated hitters who can't actually play baseball, oversized bases, over mitts that extended your reach when stealing a bag, and analytics that add up to a whole generation of major leaguers who don't know how the game is really played. Bravo!

Game 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history

 

[SamCdbs]

Multiple issues here.

- The playoffs are too long. Baseball should be over by now. Adding levels, meaning all be 4 or 6 teams are "in contention for a playoff spot" until the last weekend creates faux regular season drama, but at the expense of the playoffs' being meaningful.

- ESPN, et al. The focus of evil in the sports world. Yankees-Sox, Sox-Yankees, Yankees-Sox. Over and over. Coverage of a handful of teams means fans do not learn about the league as a whole.

- Two teams without national followings.

- IDIOTIC scheduling. First, of course, 8:15 first pitch. Why? 76.5% of people live in the first two time zones. I didn't tell you to move to California. Sneek off work, listen on the radio on the drive home, watch it on your cell phone when the boss isn't looking, whatever. 7:02 ET first pitch, period. But lets look at this DUMB weekly format. First they take, it would have been longer if both league series had not gone 7 games, 2 days off. Dumb. But then lets look at the DUMB weekly spread out. F-S-off-M-T-W-off-F-S. To avoid the NFL. Well, that puts Game One, and Game Six, on Friday, the worst day of the week for TV. This puts Game Two, and Game Seven, against 20 college games rather than one NFL game; and they still go up against that one NFL game for Game Three. Play S-S-off-T-W-T-off-S-S.

- Manfred's incessant woke preaching rubs a lot of people, and, IMHO, people in the basic core demographic for baseball, the wrong way. STFU about politics and culture.

 

[Bruce]

Game 2 did worse-

Game 2 of the World Series match-up between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers averaged a 4.0 rating and 8.15 million viewers on FOX on Saturday night, making it the lowest-rated and least-watched World Series game on record, according to Sports Media Watch. It fell below Game 1’s rating of 4.6 and 9.17 million viewers.

Only 6.2% of 131 Million Households in the United States watched it, so 93.8% was watching/doing something else.

 

[AZ.]

Well with no east coast teams and no west coast teams, I would of made a bet it would be low! AZ and Texas?

 

[Mr Tony]

Only 6.2% of 131 Million Households in the United States watched it, so 93.8% was watching/doing something else.

watching one of the 68 college football games I could see between TV and streaming during that time

 

[Stuart Sweet]

This doesn't surprise me a bit. I agree the playoffs are too long. The World Series should be in early October, not almost November. And yes, there's a big issue with baseball in that a lot of people don't care about it unless one of the "halo" teams are in contention.

 

[Bruce]

Still low for Game 3, like to point out ratings should be at least somewhat up, since there is not really a Fall TV Season, not much competition except for streaming.

MNF pretty much received it’s normal rating between the two networks it was on, having it on ABC also has not increased ratings, with the two added together, it is getting the same numbers as if it was just on ESPN.

Monday Night Football, airing on both ABC and ESPN, battered the World Series head to head. Between the two networks, the Lions’ win over the Raiders averaged 15,207 million viewers. The ABC broadcast alone averaged 8.356 million viewers, more than Game 3 on both Fox and Fox Deportes.

Monday's 3-1 victory by the Rangers averaged 8.13 million on Fox, according to fast national figures. Saturday's 9-1 Diamondbacks' win averaged 8.15 million. Before this year, the least-watched World Series game was Game 3 in 2020 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays, which averaged 8.34 million.

2023 World Series Game 3 draws another record-low audience

Game 3 of the 2023 World Series was not just the least-watched Game 3 ever, it was also the least-watched World Series game ever.

awfulannouncing.com

World Series Games 2 and 3 least-viewed ever

World Series Games 2 and 3 were the least-watched on record according to Nielsen.

www.espn.com

 

[fjwag]

No big Star players, small market teams, and these guys historically are LOSERS. Not over till it's over,
but would be the Ranger's first time to win the World Series.

But us REAL baseball fans are watching!

 

[Bruce]

No big Star players, small market teams, and these guys historically are LOSERS. Not over till it's over,
but would be the Ranger's first time to win the World Series.

But us REAL baseball fans are watching!

Again, based on the not Fall TV Season ( because of the strike), there should at least be some interest from others looking for something to watch, but with so many options now, MLB is falling even further backwards with viewers.

 

[fjwag]

TV money is guaranteed for MLB. Networks are the ones PO'ed. Their shows for the most part suck, the only network show I record are the Yellowstone reruns, I watch 'em when I'm really bored, of course already seen 'em. Networks are mostly a mouthpiece with an agenda, it shows in their programs, not to mention the blank news.

 

[SamCdbs]

TV money is guaranteed for MLB.

Until 2028. Then?

No one is going to be around to bid for baseball. In the anti-consumer future, it is just another thing that we will no longer have to enjoy.

 

[Bruce]

Until 2028. Then?

No one is going to be around to bid for baseball. In the anti-consumer future, it is just another thing that we will no longer have to enjoy.

Based on the ratings, the vast majority do not care.

 

[Howard Simmons]

You also have to factor in that there was college football, Pro football on at the same time.

 

[Bruce]

You also have to factor in that there was college football, Pro football on at the same time.

As they have in the past also, no different.

Also, Game 1 was on a Friday, Game 4 on a Tuesday, no ratings yet for Game 5.

Since the majority of ages 18-34 do not have a Paid Live TV subscription, Fox does not have a streaming service they might watch if you can get them off YouTube and Tic Tok ( my kids are 28/33).

Also, does not bold well for viewers of MLB in the future.

 

[Yespage]

Well with no east coast teams and no west coast teams, I would of made a bet it would be low! AZ and Texas?

Cubs and Indians drew 40 million in Game 7, and the 7 game series averaged 23 million. Granted, neither team had won it in a looooooooooooooong time, so it had that going for it.

 

[AZ.]

Cubs and Indians drew 40 million in Game 7, and the 7 game series averaged 23 million. Granted, neither team had won it in a looooooooooooooong time, so it had that going for it.

Please don't compare the lovable losers that hadn't won in 108 years and Cleveland team that hasn't won in over 50 years! Not even close

 

[Bruce]

Ratings are out for game 5

6.0/17 (11.481 M viewers)

Paying more attention to the ratings, 11.481 divide by 2.6 ( average in each household)= a tad under 4.5 million households, out of 131 Million, which is only 3.5% of total households .

That is terrible, MLB will never get as good of a contract unless things pick up.

With about only 68 Million having a paid Live TV subscription and 63 Million do not, along with Fox not having a single 8streaming service, I wonder if that is part of the cause.

Yespage posted those great ratings of 2016, cable/satellite had 100 Million Subscribers out of 125 Million ( household numbers at the time), now cable/sat has about 55 Million, streaming Live TV has the rest

 

[SamCdbs]

Based on the ratings, the vast majority do not care.

Could you please list the things that the "majority" of people watch?

I'll help you out. There aren't any.

That is the poison of streaming. With the wonderful, consumer protecting, bundle, I, yes, pay a few pennies for things I would never watch. So do millions of people, and writ large across the nation, EVERYONE gets the content they want. Wonderful. A plethora of content.

In the dark, sad, anti-consumer, streaming world, since NO ONE THING is popular enough to justify its cost, just reruns, and cheaply made melodrama. Certainly no live sports not called NFL.

For most people, whose goal is to be entertained, sad.

 

[Bruce]

Could you please list the things that the "majority" of people watch?

I'll help you out. There aren't any.

That is the poison of streaming. With the wonderful, consumer protecting, bundle, I, yes, pay a few pennies for things I would never watch. So do millions of people, and writ large across the nation, EVERYONE gets the content they want. Wonderful. A plethora of content.

In the dark, sad, anti-consumer, streaming world, since NO ONE THING is popular enough to justify its cost, just reruns, and cheaply made melodrama. Certainly no live sports not called NFL.

For most people, whose goal is to be entertained, sad.

I deleted my reply, this is not the area(Sports) for these types of discussions

Try to keep it in the cord cutters area.

Starting to feel like you are stalking me.