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World Series TV Ratings Surge Past NBA Finals, Draw Most Viewers Since 2017

The five World Series games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees had an average viewership of 15.8 million, making the 2024 Fall Classic the most popular of the decade so far.

Sam Connon

Oct 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates in the locker room after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in game four to win the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium.
Oct 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates in the locker room after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in game four to win the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The much-anticipated 2024 World Series may have only lasted five games, but it still drew plenty of attention from around the globe.

Wednesday's Game 5 showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees drew an average of 18.6 million viewers across FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports streaming services, the network's PR team announced Thursday. The audience peaked at 21.3 million heading into the final innings, just as the Dodgers took a 7-6 lead and clinched their second championship in five years.

That makes it the most-watched Game 5 since 2017, when the Dodgers faced off against the Houston Astros. It was a 58% boost compared to Game 5 of the 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

On the whole, the 2024 World Series averaged 15.8 million viewers, also the best figure since 2017. That marked a 67% increase year-over-year.

The spike in interest extended to the surrounding programming as well, with FOX's World Series pregame coverage scoring its highest ratings since 2021. All in, the MLB Postseason on FOX and FS1 scored 42% higher ratings than they did in 2023, again only being outdone by 2017.

Beyond the World Series attracting its largest audience in seven years, baseball also asserted itself as a key point in the culture compared to other major sporting events.

As noted by the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin, the World Series' average viewership of 15.8 million dwarfed the average viewership of 11.3 million from the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.

None of that includes the record numbers that came pouring in from Japan, with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto each taking center stage for the Dodgers.

All the star power and big brands did what they were expected in this year's Fall Classic, surely pleasing MLB and FOX executives alike. And even though the series was shorter than many anticipated, there was still plenty of drama to satisfy the millions of fans who tuned in as well.

Full 2024 playoff rewind

  • MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE: The 2024 playoffs have come to a close, with the Los Angeles Dodgers besting the New York Yankees in the World Series. Here is how it all went down, from the winning pitchers in the Wild Card round to the final scores in the Fall Classic. CLICK HERE

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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