Dodgers Versus Yankees World Series Game 1 Averaged 15.2 Million Viewers

There is a reason why Major League Baseball salivates whenever two big markets make it to the biggest game of the season. It is because it normally means more eyes. More attention, means more exposure and of course, more money. In business, this is what any executive or industry wishes to achieve. Well, on Friday the MLB definitely got the ratings and viewership they have been looking for and desiring. The Los Angeles Dodgers versus New York Yankees World Series Game 1 averaged 15.2 million viewers.

If you are wondering how these stats compare to recent years. Game 1’s audience was over 60 percent larger than 2023. For additional reference, the Texas Rangers versus the Arizona Diamondbacks brought in 9.3/9.4 million viewers. It became the first World Series Game 1 on record to average less than a 5.7 rating or garner less than 10.93 million viewers.

As Deadline reported regarding 2024’s game 1 stats, they reveal, “It was up 62% versus the 2023 World Series Game 1, when 9.4M viewers watched the Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Texas Rangers. In fact, it was the most-watched World Series Game 1 since 2017, when the Dodgers played the Houston Astros with 15.3M tuned in. That Series would end up averaging nearly 19M viewers.”

As mentioned, NY and LA are two of the biggest markets; therefore , seeing bigger numbers is not much of a shock. However, it looks like it is the west coast that is really driving the “growth” this series thus far. Most viewers came from the LA market as they watched their team take a one game lead in the matchup.

Dodgers Versus Yankees World Series Game 1 Averaged 15.2 Million Viewers

Furthermore, Mike McCarthy of FOS confirmed the game’s peak audience numbers. He states,

“Fox Sports says Game 1 of Yankees-Dodgers World Series averaged 15.1M viewers across TV/digital platforms. That’s up 62% from Game 1 of last yr’s DBacks-Rangers Game 1. It was most-watched Game 1 since Dodgers-Astros in 2017. Audience peaked at 17.8M from 11:30 to conclusion.”

Additionally, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times also broke down the percentages per market. He mentions,

“Fox: Dodgers-Yankees attracted 15.2 million viewers, most for any World Series Game 1 since Dodgers-Astros in 2017. Percentage of TV sets in use tuned to game in: Los Angeles: 58% and New York: 37%.”

So how does this game 1 shape up against the most watched World Series games. Well, the 1978 Fall Classic was the most-watched World Series of all time, drawing an average of 44.279 million viewers. Moreover, Game 7 in 2016 between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians had an average viewership of 40.045 million.

Also, speaking of 2016. The NY Times states, Only one World Series has averaged more than 20 million viewers since 2005 — the 2016 World Series featuring the Chicago Cubs finally breaking their franchise title drought. That series averaged 22.8 million viewers, including 40 million viewers watching Game 7.

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