Already struggling in the ratings, the World Series did not get its customary Sunday night bump this year.
Game 5 of the Royals/Giants World Series drew a 7.3 rating and 12.6 million viewers on FOX Sunday night, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — down 18% in ratings and 13% in viewership from Red Sox/Cardinals Game 5 last year (8.9, 14.4M) and down 17% and 12%, respectively, from Cardinals/Rangers Game 5 in 2011 (8.8, 14.3M). Keep in mind Game 5 aired on Monday night under the old World Series schedule.
Fox Deportes drew 210,000 for its coverage, bringing the total audience to 12.8 million.
The Giants’ shutout win ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed Sunday World Series game ever, falling below the previous marks set by Giants/Tigers Game 4 in 2012 (8.9, 15.5M). Sunday is usually a strong night for the World Series due to a direct lead-in from the NFL. This year, NFL coverage led into the game in only 44% of markets.
Sunday’s game was also the lowest rated and least-viewed Game 5 of the World Series, the second-lowest rated non-Saturday World Series game, and the seventh-lowest rated regardless of day — sharing the latter two distinctions with Tuesday’s Game 1. The Giants have now played in six of the eight lowest rated World Series games, with four of those six taking place this year.
Game 5 earned a 48.0 rating in Kansas City, up 10% from Game 4 on Saturday night (43.6) but the market’s second-lowest rating of the series. The game had a series-high 34.1 rating in the Bay Area, easily topping the previous high of 29.3 for Game 1.
Through five games, Giants/Royals has averaged a record-low 7.2 rating and 12.1 million viewers on FOX — down 15% in ratings and 14% in viewership from Red Sox/Cardinals last year (8.5, 14.1M) and down 5% in both measures from the four-game Giants/Tigers series in 2012 (7.6, 12.7M). Giants/Tigers currently ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed World Series ever. Should this year’s series end in six games, Game 6 would need to top a 9.0 rating for the average to match or exceed 2012.
The series has averaged a 3.1 rating among adults 18-49, also on pace for a record-low but good enough to boost struggling FOX. Primetime programming on the network averaged a 2.0 in the demo entering the World Series, but that average has increased 15% to 2.3. Thanks to the World Series, FOX expects to win last week among adults 18-49 for the first time since February.
(Sun. numbers from Fox Sports)
