The first five games of Dodgers-Rays generated the five lowest World Series ratings on record, bottoming out in Game 3.
Friday’s Game 3 of the World Series (Dodgers-Rays) averaged a 4.3 rating and 8.16 million viewers, marking the lowest rated and least-watched World Series game ever. The previous lows were a 5.0 and 8.95 million in Game 2. The Dodgers’ win was the first-ever World Series game to average less than a 5.0 rating.
Ratings fell a series-high 39% and viewership 33% from last year (Astros-Nationals: 7.1, 12.22M) and 46% and 38% respectively from 2018 (Red Sox-Dodgers: 7.9, 13.56M).
The numbers rebounded a bit over the weekend. Saturday’s thrilling Game 4 averaged a 4.8 and 9.33 million, ranking as the second-lowest rated World Series game ever, but also the most-watched game of the series to that point. Sunday’s Game 5 averaged series-highs of 5.3 and 10.06 million, becoming the first non-NFL sporting event since January to cross the ten million threshold.
MLB now accounts for five of the eight largest (non-NFL) sports audiences since the College Football Playoff in January and three of the top four.
Both games posted relatively modest declines. Ratings fell 19% and viewership 9% in Game 4 (from 5.9, 10.21M) and 18% and 12% respectively in Game 5 (from 6.5, 11.39M). The declines were still quite steep compared to two years ago, with Game 4 down 39% in ratings and 31% in viewership (from 7.9, 13.56M) and Game 5 down 47% and 43% respectively from a title-clincher that had an NFL lead-in (10.0, 17.63M).
To be clear, both Saturday and Sunday’s games still rank among the least-watched in World Series history. The first five games account for the five lowest World Series ratings ever and five of the six smallest audiences. It is only in the anomalous context of 2020 — a year of record-low ratings across the sports industry — that those numbers would not constitute a ratings disaster.
Sunday’s Game 5 was routed by the competing Seahawks-Cardinals Sunday Night Football game, but not as badly as last year. SNF won the head-to-head by 49% in ratings (7.9 to 5.3), 42% in viewership (14.31M to 10.06M), 65% in adults 18-49 (4.3 to 2.6), 71% in 25-54 (5.3 to 3.1) and 72% in 18-34 (3.1 to 1.8), each slimmer margins than last year (60, 61, 100, 109 and 111 percent, respectively).
Game 5 was the highest rated and most-watched sporting event versus SNF this fall, topping the previous week’s NLCS Game 7 (5.2, 9.66M) and Games 3 and 6 of the NBA Finals (3.1, 5.99M; 4.2, 8.37M). It was a different story in the key adult demographics, where Game 5 was lower in all three demos than Game 6 of the NBA Finals (3.3 in 18-49, 2.9 in 18-34, and 3.4 in 25-54) and Game 7 of the NLCS (2.9; 2.2; 3.2). It even trailed the record-low Game 3 of the Finals in 18-34 (2.0 to 1.8).
Game 4 averaged a 1.7 in 18-34, 2.3 in 18-49 and 2.8 in 25-54. Game 3 set all-time lows for a World Series game in 18-49 (2.0) and almost certainly did so in 18-34 (1.5) and 25-54 (2.4) as well.
Lowest rated World Series games
This year’s games highlighted
| Lowest rated | Least-watched | ||||||
| # | Year | Game | Rtg | # | Year | Game | Vwrs |
| 1 | 2020 | LAD-TB Gm. 3 | 4.3 | 1 | 2020 | LAD-TB Gm. 3 | 8.16M |
| 2 | 2020 | LAD-TB Gm. 4 | 4.8 | 2 | 2020 | TB-LAD Gm. 2 | 8.95M |
| 3 | 2020 | TB-LAD Gm. 2 | 5.0 | 3 | 2020 | TB-LAD Gm. 1 | 9.20M |
| 4 | 2020 | TB-LAD Gm. 1 | 5.1 | 4 | 2020 | LAD-TB Gm. 4 | 9.33M |
| 5 | 2020 | LAD-TB Gm. 5 | 5.3 | 5 | 2008 | TB-PHI Gm. 3 | 9.84M |
| 6 | 2019 | HOU-WSH Gm. 4 | 5.9 | 6 | 2020 | LAD-TB Gm. 5 | 10.06M |
| 7 | 2008 | TB-PHI Gm. 3 | 6.1 | 7 | 2019 | HOU-WSH Gm. 4 | 10.21M |
| 8 | 2012 | SF-DET Gm. 3 | 6.1 | 8 | 2012 | SF-DET Gm. 3 | 10.47M |
| 9 | 2014 | KC-SF Gm. 4 | 6.3 | 9 | 2014 | KC-SF Gm. 4 | 10.74M |
| 10 | 2019 | HOU-WSH Gm. 5 | 6.5 | 10 | 2011 | STL-TEX Gm. 3 | 11.25M |
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 10.27 a, b, c; 10.26]
