Featuring a Canadian team and airing on what’s typically the least-watched night of the week, Saturday’s Game 7 of the World Series still managed to pull in a massive audience across the United States.
According to Nielsen fast-nationals, the Dodgers-Blue Jays finale averaged 25.98 million viewers across FOX Sports platforms, including 25.45 million on FOX alone. It marks the largest Major League Baseball audience since Game 7 of the 2017 Astros-Dodgers World Series, which drew 28.29 million viewers.
The Dodgers’ extra-inning win, which peaked at 31.54 million viewers around 11:30 p.m. ET, also surpassed the most recent World Series Game 7 in 2019 between the Nationals and Astros. That matchup averaged 23.19 million viewers, though Nielsen did not begin including out-of-home viewing in national estimates until 2020 — meaning the 2019 game likely would have rated higher under today’s measurement standards.
Saturday’s showdown was historic for another reason. It was the first World Series Game 7 played on a Saturday since 1931, and the audience reflected the rarity. The 25.98 million average made it the most-watched Saturday MLB broadcast in 29 years, dating back to the Yankees’ World Series-clinching win over the Braves in 1996, which attracted 30.44 million viewers on FOX.
While some past games — such as Indians-Marlins in 1997 or Yankees-Diamondbacks in 2001 — would likely rank higher with modern measurement methods, the 2025 World Series still represents a remarkable 20-plus-year high for Saturday baseball viewership.
For perspective, before this weekend’s Game 7, the most-watched Saturday baseball game of the past two decades was Game 4 of the 2016 Indians-Cubs World Series, which averaged 16.7 million viewers.
Outside of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, few major championship events take the risk of airing on a Saturday evening — and none have ever drawn as many viewers as this year’s World Series finale.
Canadian ratings from SportsNet were not immediately available, but if trends hold, the combined North American audience may come close to matching the legendary Cubs-Indians Game 7 from 2016 — one of the most-watched baseball games of the modern era.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
