Though well short of last year’s historic juggernaut, World Series Game 7 ratings were still massive on FOX.
Wednesday’s Astros-Dodgers World Series Game 7 had a 15.8 rating and 28.2 million viewers on FOX, down 28% in ratings and 29% in viewership from Cubs-Indians last year, the most-watched baseball game since 1991 (21.8, 40.1M), but up 15% and 20% respectively from Giants-Royals in 2014 (13.7, 23.5M).
The Astros’ title-clinching win trails only last year’s Game 7 as the highest rated and most-watched Major League Baseball game since 2004 (BOS-STL Game 4: 18.2, 28.8M).
Overall, it delivered baseball’s sixth-largest television audience in the past 20 years.
Viewership peaked at 32.0 million from 10:30-10:45 PM ET, more than an hour before the conclusion. Unlike previous games in the series, which were wild back-and-forth affairs, Houston maintained at least a 4-run lead for the final seven innings.
Excluding the NFL, Game 7 ranks as the highest rated and most-watched sporting event of the year — topping January’s Clemson-Alabama college football national championship (14.2, 25.3M). Baseball has now delivered the top non-NFL audience in two consecutive years.
Game 7 delivered an 8.2 rating in adults 18-49, down 35% from last year (12.6) but up 24% from 2015 (6.6). The 8.2 is the second-highest for a baseball game since Red Sox-Cardinals Game 4 in 2004 (10.0).
For the year, the 8.2 ranks third among non-NFL sporting events behind Game 5 of the Warriors-Cavaliers NBA Finals (9.0) and Clemson-Alabama (8.3).
The game also had a 6.5 in adults 18-34 (-38%) and a 9.5 in adults 25-54 (-34%).
Despite the overall decline, Spanish-language viewership on Fox Deportes increased 37% from last year’s Game 7 (from 565K to 778M). The streaming audience on Fox Sports GO was down a relatively modest 14% (from 344K to 294K). Across all Fox Sports platforms, Game 7 had 29.3 million viewers (-28%) — just ahead of 2004 as the second-biggest baseball audience since Giants-Angels in 2002 (30.9M).
For previous World Series Game 7 ratings, archives dating back to 1972 are available here.
Most-Watched Baseball Games, Past 20 Years
| # | Year | Game | Net | Rtg. | Vwrs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016 | Cubs-Indians World Series Game 7 |
FOX | 21.8 | 40.05M |
| 2 | 2001 | Yankees-D’Backs World Series Game 7 |
FOX | 23.5 | 39.12M |
| 3 | 2004 | Red Sox-Yankees ALCS Game 7 |
FOX | 19.4 | 31.46M |
| 4 | 2002 | Giants-Angels World Series Game 7 |
FOX | 17.9 | 30.88M |
| 5 | 2004 | Red Sox-Cardinals World Series Game 4 |
FOX | 18.2 | 28.85M |
| 6 | 2017 | Astros-Dodgers World Series Game 7 |
FOX | 15.8 | 28.24M |
| 7 | 2003 | Red Sox-Yankees ALCS Game 7 |
FOX | 17.1 | 27.49M |
| 8 | 2003 | Marlins-Cubs NLCS Game 7 |
FOX | 16.9 | 26.51M |
| 9 | 1999 | Braves-Yankees World Series Game 4 |
NBC | 17.8 | 25.85M |
| 10 | 2004 | Cardinals-Red Sox World Series Game 2 |
FOX | 15.9 | 25.47M |
[Wed. numbers from Fox Sports, with additional info from ShowBuzz Daily 11.2]
