Sports Ratings Tracker

Regional Major League Baseball action on FOX averaged a 1.6 rating and 3.08 million viewers last weekend, marking the network’s second-largest audience of the season, and the top MLB audience of the week.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Baseball” (Mariners-Astros) turned in 2.4 million across a Nielsen-measured linear audience (1.3, 2.24M) and streaming viewership tracked by Adobe Analytics — down from Yankees-Red Sox on ESPN last year (2.6M).

Earlier in the day, Cardinals-Cubs averaged a 1.0 and 1.99 million on ABC, marking the largest audience of the season on ESPN/ABC. ESPN the prior Wednesday drew a 0.7 and 1.35 million for Mariners-Yankees.

As previously noted, the “Field of Dreams” game from Dyersville, Iowa, averaged just 1.66 million viewers on Netflix. The household rating was a 0.7. The previous “Field of Dreams” game on FOX in 2022 had a 1.7 rating and 3.10 million viewers.

Last weekend’s Astros-Padres MLB “Sunday Night Baseball” game on NBC averaged a combined 2.1 million viewers across a Nielsen-measured linear audience (1.1 rating, 2.01M viewers) and streaming viewership tracked by Adobe Analytics — up from Cardinals-Cubs on ESPN last year (1.98M), but the least-watched Sunday night game since Rangers-Red Sox in June (1.7M).

Viewership trailed the previous night’s regional MLB window on FOX, which averaged a 1.2 and 2.22 million — marking the first time since Fourth of July weekend that FOX has delivered the top MLB audience of a week.

In other action for the week ending last Sunday, ESPN averaged a 0.6 and 1.15 million for Pirates-Brewers on August 5 and a 0.51 and 899,000 for Giants-Rangers two nights earlier.

FOX averaged a 1.4 rating and 3.335 million viewers for regional Major League Baseball coverage last weekend, marking the network’s largest audience of the season and the second-largest across all networks. The high water mark is 4.2 million for a partially preempted Yankees-Red Sox “Sunday Night Baseball” game on NBC last month, a figure that combines a Nielsen-measured linear audience with streaming viewership tracked by Adobe Analytics.

The telecast trails only the aforementioned Yankees-Red Sox game as the most-watched regular season MLB telecast since the original “Field of Dreams” game in 2021.

Coverage had an indirect lead-in from the FIFA World Cup, which boosted the intervening MLB All-Star Selection Show to an unusually-massive 5.90 million.

As for NBC’s “Star-Spangled Sunday” promotion, Padres-Dodgers averaged 2.3 million on “Sunday Night Baseball” across Nielsen (1.1 rating, 2.16M viewers) and Adobe Analytics, and a rain-delayed Mets-Braves drew 1.9 million on “MLB Sunday Leadoff” (1.0, 1.80M per Nielsen, plus Adobe Analytics). ESPN carried two Sunday games on the same weekend last year, averaging 1.71 million for Cardinals-Cubs and 844,000 for Rangers-Padres.

NBCUniversal carried all 15 MLB games last Sunday, with 13 of those airing primarily on Peacock. Figures for those games were unavailable.

Last weekend’s Yankees-Red Sox Major League Baseball game on ABC averaged a 1.0 rating and 1.99 million viewers, comfortably surpassing the network’s previous MLB window last month (Giants-Cubs: 1.41M).

ABC actually carried two baseball games last weekend, with a “BananaBall” matchup last Sunday drawing a 0.7 and 1.18 million — the largest audience yet for the “Bananaball” franchise.

Returning to traditional baseball, ESPN averaged 667,000 for Guardians-Rangers Monday night.

The latest edition of NBC’s “Sunday Night Baseball” (Rangers-Red Sox) averaged 1.7 million viewers on NBC, per a Nielsen-measured linear audience and streaming viewership tracked by Adobe Analytics — the least-watched of the five Nielsen-rated “Sunday Night Baseball” games this season. The previous low was 2.0 million for Padres-Mariners in May.

The Rangers’ win aired directly opposite World Cup matches, the clinching game of the Stanley Cup Final, and the UFC event at the White House.

Last weekend’s edition of MLB on FOX averaged a 1.2 rating and 2.4 million viewers on FOX, up from last year’s equivalent window (2.3M), albeit within the margin that can be explained by Nielsen methodological changes.

FOX now owns seven of the 11 largest MLB audiences so far this season, with the caveat that NBC’s “Sunday Night Baseball” has only aired on Nielsen-rated television twice thus far. Three of the four exceptions took place on Opening Night (Netflix) and Opening Day (NBC).

The latest edition of MLB “Sunday Night Baseball” (Padres-Mariners) averaged a combined 2.0 million viewers on NBC across Nielsen (1.0, 1.80M) and Adobe Analytics, down from last year’s higher-profile Yankees-Mets “Subway Series” game on ESPN, which at the time was the most-watched Sunday night game since 2018 (2.5M).

Padres-Mariners was originally scheduled to air on Peacock and NBCSN, but was moved up to NBC when the network ended up without an NBA playoff game.

Viewership slipped from the previous NBC edition of “Sunday Night Baseball,” Guardians-Braves last month — which averaged 2.2 million (1.1 rating, 1.95M viewers per Nielsen). As one might expect, neither “Sunday Night Baseball” game has matched NBC’s Opening Day doubleheader of Diamondbacks-Dodgers at 3.2 million (1.5, 2.74M per Nielsen) and Pirates-Mets at 2.3 million (1.2, 2.06M per Nielsen).

NBC will begin a regular run of “Sunday Night Baseball” coverage a week from Sunday, airing the series on all-but-two weekends through August.

“Sunday Night Baseball” was not the top MLB telecast of last week, as FOX averaged a 1.4 and 2.50 million for regional coverage featuring the Subway Series and the same Padres-Mariners matchup — the network’s second-largest audience of the season and a 31% increase from the same weekend last year (1.91M).

Tuesday’s Italy-United States World Baseball Classic pool play game averaged 2.07 million viewers across FS1 (1.9M) and Fox Deportes, marking the largest audience for a WBC pool play game on FS1. Italy’s upset win, which peaked with 2.40 million in the 10 PM ET quarter-hour, more-than-doubled the average for U.S. pool play games on FS1 in 2023.

The four U.S. pool play games averaged 3.17 million viewers, nearly tripling the 2023 average of 1.12 million. Three of the four games aired on FOX, compared to one of four in 2023.

Games 1 and 2 of the Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series averaged 7.0 and 6.6 million viewers respectively on Canada’s Rogers SportsNet, marking the two most-watched Blue Jays games on record, according to the network’s reporter Hazel Mae.

American figures for Games 1 and 2 on FOX will not be available until Tuesday at the earliest.

The latest edition of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry averaged 2.57 million viewers on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” over the weekend, marking the third-largest audience of the MLB season — behind only Yankees-Dodgers on ESPN June 1 (2.73M) and regional action featuring Red Sox-Yankees on FOX June 7 (3.0M).

The Yankees’ win, which peaked with 2.89 million viewers in the 8:15 PM ET quarter-hour, nearly doubled last year’s comparable Astros-Orioles game (1.31M).

Over on FOX, a Thursday night window featuring Yankees-Red Sox averaged a 1.3 rating and 2.33 million viewers — up from a 1.1 and 1.95 million last year.

Going back to the prior weekend, FOX averaged a 1.1 and 2.01 million (+17%) for its usual Saturday regional, while ESPN drew just shy of 1.7 million for the Mariners-Mets “Little League Classic” (-22%).

New York Yankees games on YES Network are averaging 292,000 viewers so far this season, up 5% from last year (277K). Nearly half of the games this season have averaged at least 300,000 viewers, compared to a third at the same point last year.

The latest edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball (Cubs-Cardinals) averaged 1.98 million viewers last weekend, peaking at 2.1 million in the 9:15 PM ET quarter-hour — more than double Mets-Mariners opposite the Olympics last year (937K).

ESPN is now averaging 1.69 million viewers for MLB games this season, including 1.73 million for Sunday Night Baseball — both up ten percent from the same point last year. The Sunday night average is the highest at this point of a season since 2017.

On FOX last weekend, regional action featuring the same Cubs-Cardinals matchup averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.8 million viewers — up sharply from last year opposite the Olympics (0.6, 1.07M).

The latest edition of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball (Tigers-Phillies) averaged 2.03 million viewers, peaking at 2.42 million — up 72% from last year’s Cardinals-Cubs game, which aired opposite the Olympics (1.18M). Sunday night games are now averaging 1.68 million, up 7% from last year and the highest average since 2017.

In other weekend action, the Braves-Reds MLB Speedway Classic — which began Saturday night but was largely played Saturday afternoon — averaged 1.6 million. The rain delay portion Saturday night averaged 1.8 million.

For more, see this article.

The latest edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball (Mets-Giants) averaged 1.66 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2, peaking at 2.10 million — down 3% from last year, when the series featured Yankees-Red Sox but also aired opposite the Olympics (1.71M).

Sunday Night Baseball is still averaging 1.7 million viewers for the season, up 5% from last year and the highest since 2017.

On FOX the previous night, regional action featuring Dodgers-Red Sox averaged 2.02 million — down 2% from last year, which like the Sunday night window featured Yankees-Red Sox opposite the Olympics (2.07M).

Wednesday’s Yankees-Rays Major League Baseball game averaged 708,000 viewers on MLB Network, marking the second-most watched regular season game ever on the network (dates back to 2010). Only Derek Jeter’s final home game in 2014 (837K) averaged a larger audience.

Keep in mind MLB Network coverage was blacked out in the local markets.

Entering Thursday, MLB Network was averaging 235,000 viewers for its out-of-market games in July — which would rank as its highest such average in any month since July 2019.

Sunday’s Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, in which Ichiro and C.C. Sabathia were among those enshrined, averaged 247,000 viewers on MLB Network — the highest since 2019 (382K).

ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball returned from All-Star hiatus with 1.61 million viewers for Tigers-Rangers on July 20, down only a hair from a larger-market pairing of the Red Sox and Dodgers last year (1.62M).

The previous night, regional MLB action featuring Red Sox-Cubs averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.7 million viewers on FOX — down 23% and 20% respectively from last year (1.1, 2.12M).

Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game averaged a 3.8 rating and 7.19 million viewers on FOX, tying last year as the lowest rated on record and surpassing only two years ago as the least-watched (7.01M). Nonetheless, it remains easily the most-watched All-Star Game in sports.

The Midsummer Classic — which peaked with 8.1 million viewers — declined 3% from last year (7.44M).

For more, see this article.

Monday’s MLB Home Run Derby averaged a 2.7 rating and 5.73 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2, down a tick in ratings but up 5% in viewership from last year (2.8, 5.45M).

For more, see this article.

ESPN averaged 1.71 million viewers for Cardinals-Cubs and 844,000 for Rangers-Padres in a rare Sunday Night Baseball doubleheader last weekend. As one might expect, both games declined from a solo Red Sox-Yankees window on the same weekend last year (2.36M). ESPN had not aired a Sunday Night Baseball doubleheader since the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

On FOX, regional action last weekend averaged a 1.3 rating and 2.51 million viewers — the network’s second-largest audience of the season, but down a tick and 7% respectively from the same weekend last year (1.4, 2.7M).

The June 28 edition of MLB on FOX averaged a 1.1 rating and 2.38 million viewers, the network’s second-largest audience of the season, but down a tick and 4% respectively from last year.

The latest edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball — Twins-Tigers — averaged 2.02 million viewers, up two-thirds from Rangers-Orioles on the equivalent night last year. The Tigers’ win, which peaked with 2.30 million in the 9:15 PM ET quarter-hour, ranks third for the season among Sunday night games.

Sunday Night Baseball is now averaging 1.75 million viewers for the season (+11%), the highest at this point of a season since 2017.

Facing Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Mets-Phillies averaged 1.47 million viewers on the latest edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball — with 14% of that audience watching the “Statcast” alternate presentation on ESPN2. Viewership declined only 7% from Mets-Cubs last year, which did not face NBA competition (1.58M).

On FOX the previous night, regional action averaged a 1.0 rating and 2.00 million opposite breaking news coverage — not counting a brief preemption at 10 PM ET — down from a 1.2 and 2.21 million last year. Coverage trailed the competing Men’s College World Series Game 1 on ESPN.

On Tuesday night, Braves-Mets averaged a 0.31 and 527,000 on TBS and truTV — actually up from a Mets-Yankees game on TBS alone last year (0.28, 484K).

Giants-Dodgers averaged 1.91 million viewers on the latest edition of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, down 8% from Yankees-Red Sox last year (2.07M).

The previous night, regional action on FOX featuring Yankees-Red Sox drew a 1.1 and 2.12 million — down 9 and 12 percent respectively from coverage featuring the same matchup a year ago.

Regional Major League Baseball action featuring Red Sox-Yankees averaged 3.0 million viewers on FOX Saturday night, marking the largest regular season MLB audience on any network since the same matchup on FOX in September 2022, in the middle of the Aaron Judge home run chase (3.1M).

The rivalry also averaged 1.92 million on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, actually down from Dodgers-Yankees in the same window last year (2.30M). Sunday Night Baseball nonetheless remains up 12% to its highest season-to-date average since 2017.

For more on the numbers, see this article.