The lowest rated and least-watched World Series on record ended on a respectable note in Game 5.
Wednesday’s Rangers-Diamondbacks World Series Game 5 averaged a series-high 6.0 rating and 11.45 million viewers on FOX (11.6M across all Fox platforms), down a series-low 13% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year’s Astros-Phillies Game 5, which aired opposite Thursday Night Football (6.9, 12.77M).
The Rangers’ title-clinching win, which peaked with 14.27 million from 10:45-11 PM ET, was the only game of the Fall Classic to avoid setting a record-low — topping Dodgers-Rays in the 2020 “bubble (5.3, 10.29M) as the least-watched Game 5 on record. It was the only game of the series to not rank among the ten least-watched World Series games.
The full, five-game Fall Classic averaged a 4.7 rating and 9.11 million viewers, ranking as easily the lowest rated and least-watched World Series on record. The previous lows were a 5.2 and 9.95 million for Dodgers-Rays in 2020, and no other World Series has ever averaged less than last year’s 6.1 and 11.78 million. The past four World Series rank as the four least-watched.
World Series viewership trend, past 30 years
Ratings and viewership declined 23% from last year’s six-game Phillies-Astros series (6.1, 11.78M).
Rangers-Diamondbacks accounts for four of the five smallest World Series audiences on record, including the bottom two. Even at record-low levels, the World Series still delivered the largest television audience on four of five nights, the exception being Game 3 opposite Monday Night Football.
Dallas-Ft. Worth led all markets for the World Series with a 20.3 rating and 51 share. The Rangers’ two previous World Series averaged ratings of 38.1 (2011) and 31.1 (2010), with the caveat that such comparisons are not apples-to-apples due to changes in Nielsen’s methodology. Phoenix placed second with a 16.0/43, followed by two more Texas markets — Austin (9.2/29) and San Antonio (8.0/23).
Game 5 averaged a 2.3 rating in adults 18-49, a 1.6 in 18-34 and a 2.9 in 25-54 — series-highs in each demo — down 22, 22 and 20 percent respectively from last year (3.0, 2.0, 3.7). The full series declined 33% in 18-49 (from 2.77 to 1.85), 37% in 18-34 (from 1.98 to 1.25) and 31% in 25-54 (from 3.37 to 2.32).
The full MLB Postseason averaged 4.45 million viewers across Fox Sports, TBS and ESPN, down 8% from last year (4.86M).
(Nielsen estimates from Fox Sports PR, Programming Insider 11.2)
