As the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks vie for the chance to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy as World Series champions, Nielsen Media Research has reported low ratings for the first two games of the series. Game 2 of the “Fall Classic” in particular, which aired on Saturday, Oct. 28 against several college football matchups, drew 8.38 million total viewers across FOX platforms and averaged a 4.0 rating.
Both of these figures are record lows in these categories, taking the spot from Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 (8.63 million/4.3 rating). The game resulted in a 9-1 victory for the Diamondbacks, but caused a 24% decline in ratings and viewership from last year’s comparable matchup featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros.
The first two games of the World Series matchup is responsible for two of the three lowest audiences in the history of the championship round, with the first game averaging 9.17 million viewers and a 4.6 rating. FOX Sports continued to win the day in prime-time television for both of the games despite college football, the NHL and NBA all having scheduled matchups on the docket.
FOX Sports reported the most-watched NFL single-header from any network on the year for its broadcast of the Dallas Cowboys’ matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, averaging 19.98 million viewers. The figure is up 24% year-over-year and pairs with gains for both of the network’s pregame shows.
While viewership data for the third game of the World Series is not yet available, it happened to coincide with events across the NBA and NHL, along with Monday Night Football. Many sports fans referred to the day as the “sports equinox,” signifying the one date in 2023 where the four leagues are active at the same time.
