U.S. television viewership for the 2025 World Series has dipped from last year’s record-setting numbers, but not nearly as steeply as many expected — and international audiences have more than made up the difference.
FOX Sports reported Wednesday that Game 1 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays averaged 13.3 million U.S. viewers, down 13% from 2024’s Yankees-Dodgers opener. Game 2 followed with 11.6 million viewers, a 16% decline. The drop was expected, given that the Blue Jays aren’t part of Nielsen’s U.S.-based market ratings and last year’s matchup featured two massive American fan bases.
Still, the story shifts considerably when Canada’s numbers are added. Sportsnet averaged 7 million viewers north of the border for Game 1. Marking a new Canadian record for a Blue Jays broadcast. Combined with FOX Sports’s U.S. figures, the total reached 20.3 million viewers across both countries. 34% higher than last year’s Game 1.
Game 2 followed a similar trend. Sportsnet drew 6.6 million Canadian viewers, while FOX Sports averaged 11.8 million in the U.S. Together, the total audience of 18.4 million topped last year’s U.S.-only Game 2 figure by 27%.
For FOX Sports, those totals underscore how the World Series has become an increasingly international television property. “No expectation that this would match last year’s NYY-LAD matchup,” Fox Sports president of analytics and insights Mike Mulvihill posted on X, acknowledging the unique market mix this year presents.
Even with the declines, FOX Sports can still point to strong domestic results. Game 1 marked the most-watched World Series opener in the U.S. since 2018 outside of last year’s event. While Game 2 ranked as the top Game 2 in six years.
In Japan, Game 1 averaged 11.8 million viewers on NHK-G — the most-watched single-network World Series broadcast in Japanese history. Game 2 followed with 9.5 million on NHK-BS, despite airing in the late morning due to time differences.
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