Despite hitting a series-low, the World Series continued to deliver its best numbers in years Saturday night.
Game 4 of the Indians/Cubs World Series had a 9.3 rating and 16.7 million viewers on FOX Saturday night, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — up 19% in ratings and 23% in viewership from Royals/Mets last year (7.8, 13.6M) and up 48% and 55%, respectively, from Royals/Giants in 2014 (6.3, 10.7M).
Cleveland’s win ranks as the most-watched Game 4 of the Fall Classic since Yankees/Phillies in 2009 (22.8M) and the highest rated since Red Sox/Cardinals in 2013 (9.4). Those games aired on Sunday nights with an NFL lead-in. Compared to previous Saturday World Series games, it was the most-watched since Cardinals/Red Sox Game 1 in 2004 (23.2M) and the highest rated since White Sox/Astros Game 1 in 2005 (9.5).
Figures do not include the Spanish-language audience of 212,000 on Fox Sports Deportes or streaming viewership on Fox Sports GO (88K). With those numbers included, it had 17.0 million viewers.
In adults 18-49, Saturday’s game had a 4.2 rating — up 24% from last year (3.4), up 62% from 2014 (2.6) and the highest for Game 4 of the World Series since 2013 (4.6). The 4.2 also ranks as the highest for a Saturday night game since 2009 (4.7). All four games of the World Series have hit multi-year highs in ratings, viewership and adults 18-49.
Despite the high marks, Game 4 was still the lowest rated and least-watched game of the series. In every World Series since 1996, the lowest rated game has aired on a Saturday night.
Entering Sunday’s Game 5, Indians/Cubs has averaged a 10.5 rating and 18.2 million viewers in the fast-nationals — up 27% in ratings and 30% in viewership from last year (8.3, 14.0M), up 46% and 53%, respectively, from 2014 (7.2, 11.9M), and the best four-game averages for the World Series since 2009 (11.6, 19.1M). That exceeds this year’s NBA Finals, which averaged a 10.1 and 17.4 million through four games.
(Sat. numbers from Fox Sports)
