The Dodgers began their quest for a third-straight World Series title with a viewership high.
Saturday’s Braves-Dodgers MLB National League Division Series Game 1 averaged a 2.4 rating and 5.37 million viewers on FOX, marking the most-watched LDS Game 1 since Yankees-Red Sox on TBS in 2018 (5.57M) and the highest rated since Guardians-Yankees in 2022.
The Dodgers’ win increased 20% in ratings and a third in viewership from Yankees-Blue Jays in the same window last year (2.0, 4.0M).
(Note that out-of-home viewing was not included in Nielsen estimates until 2020 or fully accounted for until 2025, that this is only in the second year of a new Nielsen methodology integrating “Big Data” from smart TVs, set-top boxes and first party data with its traditional panel, and that Nielsen has recently tweaked its measurement to better account for co-viewing of games.)
Not counting the All-Star Game, Game 1 delivered the fourth-largest audience of the MLB season behind the three primetime Wild Card Series games on NBC. The Braves, whose first four playoff games all aired on broadcast TV, have played in three of the top five games.
Game 2 was a different story, averaging a 1.5 and 3.33 million on FS1 Sunday night — actually down 12% and 6% respectively from Tigers-Mariners last year (1.7, 3.53M).
In the other NLDS, Padres-Brewers opened with a 1.1 and 2.50 million on FS1 Saturday night, down 19% in ratings and 18% in viewership from last year’s Tigers-Mariners Game 1 (1.35, 3.06M). Game 2 had a 1.0 and 2.14 million on FS1 Sunday afternoon, down a tick and 2% respectively from Yankees-Blue Jays a year ago (1.1, 2.18M).
Shifting to the American League, Yankees-Rays opened with a 1.6 and 3.51 million on TBS and truTV Saturday — down 20% in ratings and 26% in viewership from Dodgers-Phillies in the same window last year (2.0, 4.68M). The series bounced back with 4.3 million Monday night, up 55% from last year’s equivalent Cubs-Brewers Game 2 (2.8M) and the most-watched ALDS Game 2 since Yankees-Red Sox in ’18.
White Sox-Guardians opened with 2.1 million on Saturday and 2.9 million on Monday, down 5 and 37 percent respectively from last year’s comparable Cubs-Brewers Game 1 (2.2M) and Dodgers-Phillies Game 2 (4.6M).
Returning to the Wild Card Series, Phillies-Braves Game 3 last Thursday night averaged a 3.2 rating and 6.13 million viewers on NBC — down 14% and 18% respectively from Red Sox-Yankees Game 3 on ESPN in the same window last year (3.7, 7.44M).
Note that nearly half of the Wild Card Series aired on Peacock and NBCSN, figures for which are generally not publicized. That means there are no available figures for either game of the White Sox-Astros or Padres-Cubs series.
