FOX is certainly happy with the performance of the first two World Series games compared to other television networks. A look back in history though may damper that joy a bit. Game 1 set an all-time audience low for the World Series. The record went even lower with Game 2.
Game 1 drew 9.15 million viewers. Then Game 2 drew 8.95 million viewers. Overall, the drop in audience continues a recent trend for baseball. The 2019 World Series also suffered from record low audiences, but the drop from 2019 to 2020 is significant.
Before 2020, the record low for a World Series game’s audience came in Game 2 of the 2019 Series. That game scored just under 12 million viewers. The 2020 number represents a 25% drop in audience.
The 2012 World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants holds the record for lowest average audience of an entire series with 12.636 million. 2020’s pace is well below that, but the comparison is not a fair one to make yet. The Giants won 2012 in a sweep. The 2020 World Series seems to be competitive, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays currently even at a game a piece. If things stay close and FOX gets a Game 6 and Game 7, ratings will almost certainly climb for the potential series clinching contests.
All of these numbers and comparisons lead back to the same conclusion. It is one that we have all been talking about since the summer when games across multiple leagues and sports resumed. American audiences are less interested in sports while we’re dealing with a pandemic that is happening in the midst of an election year.
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