World Series viewership hit a series-high in Game 3, but the numbers remain in record-low territory.
Friday’s Astros-Nationals World Series Game 3 averaged a 7.1 rating and 12.21 million viewers on FOX, per Nielsen fast-nationals, marking the lowest rated Game 3 since 2012 (Giants-Tigers: 6.1) and the least-watched since 2014 (Giants-Royals: 12.13M).
Houston’s win, which peaked with 13.88 million from 10:15-10:30 PM ET, tied the sixth-lowest World Series rating on record, matching Game 2 on Wednesday night. It averaged the tenth-smallest audience.
All three games of this year’s series have hit multi-year lows, and all three rank among the bottom ten World Series games on record.
Though low historically, Game 3 delivered the largest audience of the series thus far — edging Game 1 last Tuesday (12.19M). Across all Fox Sports platforms, it averaged 12.70 million.
Compared to last year’s Red Sox-Dodgers Game 3, ratings fell 10% (from 7.9) and viewership 8% (from 13.25M). Last year’s game lasted 18 innings, the final four of which were not measured by Nielsen.
Versus Dodgers-Astros Game 3 in 2017, ratings and viewership fell 20% and 22% respectively from an 8.9 and 15.68 million.
Game 3 averaged a 30.5 rating and 53 share in Houston, down 8% from 2017 (33.3) and down a third from the 14-inning White Sox-Astros Game 3 in 2005 (45.3).
Washington D.C. turned in a 24.0/46, the market’s highest for any Major League Baseball game since Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. Each game of the series has set a new 18-year high. By comparison, the Capitals’ Stanley Cup Final Game 3 in 2018 averaged a 15.2 on NBCSN.
Demographic data will be added when available. Ratings and viewership for all World Series games dating back to 1972 are available here.
[Nielsen estimates from Fox Sports PR/Twitter 10.26]
