MLB is one of the most popular games in the USA. It has millions of viewers in the USA as well as worldwide. MLB season starts in March/April and runs till September/October. The season ends with an annual championship series named World Series which is also called Fall Classic. Besides the USA, the World Series has viewers from Puerto Rico, Canada, and Australia. Five facts about World Series will consider only American TV viewers.
Also see :: MLB World Series 2019 Live
5 Most Viewed World Series Games
World Series is losing its popularity day by day. In 1986 it got an average of 36.37 million viewers per game. All the seven games were played and total viewers were 254.59 million. That series was played between New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. On that competitive game, Mets won 4 games and Sox won 3 games. The second highest was in 1991 with an average of 35.68 million viewers between Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves. Top five viewed games are:
1. 1986 – 36.370 M
2. 1991 – 35.680 M
3. 1987 – 35.340 M
4. 1985 – 34.510 M
5. 1988 – 34.490 M
5 Least Viewed MLB World Series Games
2012 was the worst year for World Series history. It only got 50.544 million viewers in total with 12.636 million average viewers. That series was played by San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers. After being played 4 games the result came out and the Giants won the trophy by 4-0 lead. The next least viewed series was in 2008. 2008 World Series played Philadelphia Phillies vs Tampa Bay Rays could attract only 13.193 million viewers per game for 5 games. Five least viewed series are-
- 2012 – 12.636 M
- 2008 – 13.193 M
- 2014 – 13.930 M
- 2018 – 14.125 M
- 2010 – 14.217 M
Viewership records for Games 1–7
Not all games get a tremendous amount of view. It depends on the popularity of the playing teams and their records and competitions. From history, it has been seen that when competition reached to 6th or 7th game gets more views. So, Game 7 gets more views as the last game is the decision-maker. Game 7 of the 1986 World Series gets the highest view in MLB history. It made a record after attracted 60 million viewers in the USA. But, all the Game 7 could not get views always. For instance, Game 7 in 2014 got the least views, which is 23.5 million. Following is a list of the highest and lowest viewership records for Game 1-7 till now.
| Game | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 |
| Highest | 33.9M (1984) | 34.9M (1993) | 35.0M (1987) | 35.0M (1985) | 38.8M (1988) | 44.5M (1986) | 55–60M (1986) |
| Lowest | 12.2M (2014) | 12.3M (2012) | 9.8M (2008) | 10.7M (2014) | 12.6M (2014) | 13.4M (2014) | 23.5M (2014) |
5 Highest World Series Television ratings
MLB has passed its golden day in the 80s. In 1986 World Series TV rating was the highest in 2018, which got 28.6. The next rating highest rating in the list was 25.3 in 1985. Below is a list of the top 5 World Series according to the TV Rating.
- 1986 – 28.6
- 1985 – 25.3
- 1987 – 24.0
- 1991 – 24.0
- 1988 – 23.9
5 Lowest MLB World Series Television ratings
2012 season was a nightmare for MLB. It got the least viewers and rating was at the bottom by 7.6. That was a 4 match series and San Francisco Giants won by 4-0 against Detroit Tigers. MLB saw a fall in their popularity after 2008. Then some ups and downs, but still couldn’t get the position like the 80s.
- 2012 – 7.6
- 2014 – 8.2
- 2010 – 8.4
- 2015 – 8.6
- 2013 – 8.9
There are a lot of ups and downs in World Series history. MLB also experienced strikes several times. The last big strike happened in 1994, which results in the canceling of the season. These kinds of strikes and falling financial situation made MLB less popular on those days. As a result, viewer started losing their attraction to the games. In recent times World Series is trying to pick their TV rating. To get the 2019 World Series TV rating, fans have to wait till the end of the season.
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