The Yankees’ Game 4 win over the Phillies gave FOX the largest audience for a World Series game in 5 years.
Yankees/Phillies Game 4 drew a 13.5/22 final rating and 22.8 million viewers on FOX Sunday night, up 45% in ratings and 47% in viewership from Rays/Phillies Game 4 last year (9.3/15, 15.5 mil), and up 7% and 9%, respectively, from Red Sox/Rockies Game 4 in ’07 (12.6/21, 20.9 mil).
This marks the highest rated, most-viewed World Series game since 2004, and the 11th most-viewed World Series game of the decade. Excluding series-clinching games, the Yankees’ win ranks as the 7th most-viewed World Series game of the decade.
Additionally, this marks the third-most viewed Game 4 of the World Series since 2000.
To put the numbers in perspective, the 22.8 million viewers for Game 4 tops every NBA playoff game since ’02 (23.8 mil, Lakers/Kings Game 7), every NCAA Tournament game since ’05 (23.9 mil, Illinois/North Carolina), and the most-viewed NASCAR race of the decade (19.4 mil, ’06 Daytona 500).
Game 4 of the 2003 World Series — the last to feature the Yankees — drew a 13.6/23 and 20.9 million viewers. The 13.5 rating for Yankees/Phillies Game 4 ranks as the second-lowest since at least ’76 for a World Series Game 4 involving the New York Yankees.
The game drew a 42.0/58 in Philadelphia, up 8% from last year’s Rays/Phillies Game 4. In New York, the game drew a 31.2/45 — up 15% over a 27.1/39 for Yankees/Marlins Game 4 in ’03, and a higher rating than any game of the ’03 series in the market.
Entering Monday’s Game 5, the 2009 World Series is averaging an 11.5/19 rating (including a 6.1 among adults 18-49) and 19.1 million viewers on FOX, up 42% in ratings and 45% in viewership from the first four games of Rays/Phillies last year (8.1/14, 13.2 mil), and up 9% and 12%, respectively, from Red Sox/Rockies in ’07 (10.6/18, 17.1 mil).
This marks the highest average for the World Series since 2004. Comparably, the first four games of Yankees/Marlins in ’03 averaged a 12.4/21 and 19.5 million viewers.
Ratings/viewership for Game 4 of the World Series since ’95
| Year | Date | Game | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sun., 11/1/09 | Yankees/Phillies G4 | FOX |
13.5/22
|
22.8 mil
|
| 2008 | Sun., 10/26/08 | Rays/Phillies G4 | FOX |
9.3/15
|
15.5 mil
|
| 2007 | Sun., 10/28/09 | Red Sox/Rockies G4 | FOX |
12.6/21
|
20.9 mil
|
| 2006 | Thu., 10/26/06 | Tigers/Cardinals G4 | FOX |
10.4/18
|
16.1 mil
|
| 2005 | Wed., 10/26/05 | White Sox/Astros G4 | FOX |
13.0/21
|
20.0 mil
|
| 2004 | Wed., 10/27/04 | Red Sox/Cardinals G4 | FOX |
18.2/28
|
28.8 mil
|
| 2003 | Wed., 10/22/03 | Yankees/Marlins G4 | FOX |
13.6/23
|
20.9 mil
|
| 2002 | Wed., 10/23/02 | Angels/Giants G4 | FOX |
11.8/19
|
18.1 mil
|
| 2001 | Wed., 10/31/01 | D’Backs/Yankees G4 | FOX |
15.8/27
|
23.7 mil
|
| 2000 | Wed., 10/25/00 | Yankees/Mets G4 | FOX |
12.5/21
|
17.6 mil
|
| 1999 | Wed., 10/27/99 | Braves/Yankees G4 | NBC |
17.8/29
|
25.8 mil
|
| 1998 | Wed., 10/21/98 | Yankees/Padres G4 | FOX |
16.6/27
|
23.4 mil
|
| 1997 | Wed., 10/22/97 | Marlins/Indians G4 | NBC |
15.5/26
|
22.1 mil
|
| 1996 | Wed., 10/23/96 | Yankees/Braves G4 | FOX |
17.9/32
|
25.2 mil
|
| 1995 | Wed., 10/25/95 | Braves/Indians G4 | ABC |
20.0/33
|
28.7 mil
|
Most-viewed World Series games since 2000
| # | Date | Game | Net | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Sun., 11/4/01 | Yankees/D’Backs G7 | FOX |
39.1 mil
|
|
2
|
Sun., 10/27/02 | Giants/Angels G7 | FOX |
30.8 mil
|
|
3
|
Wed., 10/27/04 | Red Sox/Cardinals G4 | FOX |
28.8 mil
|
|
4
|
Sun., 10/24/04 | Cardinals/Red Sox G2 | FOX |
25.5 mil
|
|
5
|
Tue., 10/26/04 | Red Sox/Cardinals G3 | FOX |
24.4 mil
|
|
T6
|
Wed., 10/31/01 | D’Backs/Yankees G4 | FOX |
23.6 mil
|
|
T6
|
Sun., 10/28/01 | Yankees/D’Backs G2 | FOX |
23.6 mil
|
|
8
|
Tue., 10/30/01 | D’Backs/Yankees G3 | FOX |
23.4 mil
|
|
T9
|
Sat., 10/23/04 | Cardinals/Red Sox G1 | FOX |
23.2 mil
|
|
T9
|
Sat., 10/25/03 | Marlins/Yankees G6 | FOX |
23.2 mil
|
|
11
|
Sun., 11/1/09 | Yankees/Phillies G4 | FOX |
22.8 mil
|
Source: TV By the Numbers
