World Series ratings continue to impress.
Saturday’s Dodgers-Astros World Series Game 4 scored an 8.7 rating and 15.4 million viewers, per Nielsen fast-nationals — down 6% in ratings and 8% in viewership from Indians-Cubs last year (9.3, 16.7M) and up 12% and 13% respectively from Royals-Mets in 2015 (7.8, 13.6M).
The Dodgers’ win delivered the second-largest Saturday World Series audience since 2004 (BOS-STL Game 1: 23.2M), behind only last year. It edged Yankees-Phillies Game 3 in 2009 (15.401M to 15.398M), which prior to last year was the most-watched Saturday game since ’04.
The 8.7 rating is the third-highest for a Saturday game since 2005 (CHW-HOU Game 1: 9.5), behind last year and the aforementioned Yankees-Phillies game (9.1).
For the second time in three years — but just the second time since 2000 — the Saturday night game did not earn the smallest audience of the series. Last night’s game topped Game 1 (15.0M).
Keep in mind Game 4 had an advantage over previous Saturday contests, airing directly after a matchup of top-ten college football teams, Ohio State-Penn State. That game had a 6.4 overnight rating, the second-highest of the college football season.
Compared to previous Game 4s, it ranks behind last year as the highest rated and most-watched since 2013 (BOS-STL: 9.4, 16.0M). Game 4 aired on a Sunday night with an NFL lead-in from 2007-13.
Including the Spanish-language audience on Fox Deportes (375K) and streaming viewership on Fox Sports GO (130K), the game had 15.9 million viewers (-6%). For all four games this series, adding in Spanish-language and streaming viewership has narrowed the year-over-year decline.
The World Series has averaged 15.4 million viewers through four games, down 15% from last year (18.2M), but up 10% from 2015 (13.98M). It is the third-highest four-game average in a decade — since Red Sox-Rockies in 2007 (17.1M) — behind only Cubs-Indians last year and Yankees-Phillies in 2009 (19.1M).
World Series ratings dating back to 1972 are available here.
[Sat. numbers from Houston Chronicle 10.29, Fox Sports PR/Twitter 10.29]
