Dodgers and Blue Jays Begin World Series with Strong Start in U.S.
The World Series featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays began with a strong performance in viewership across the United States. The series averaged 12.5 million viewers on Fox Sports’ platforms, which include television and digital formats, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics. This opening weekend marked a 14% decline from the previous year’s Dodgers-Yankees matchup, which averaged 14.5 million viewers.
Viewership Breakdown
Despite the slight decrease from last year’s ratings, this year’s World Series set a record as the most-watched Fall Classic through two games since 2019. Notable viewership statistics include:
- Game 1 garnered an average of 13.31 million viewers.
- Game 2 attracted 11.63 million viewers.
- Nielsen-only ratings for Game 1 were 12.26 million, while Game 2 received 11.40 million.
- Peaks for Game 1 and Game 2 reached 14.08 million and 13.67 million, respectively.
These figures reflect significant changes in Nielsen’s methodology. The company expanded its out-of-home viewing sample and incorporated data from smart TVs, which might influence comparisons to prior years.
Historical Context
This year’s matchup holds the distinction of being the first World Series since 1993 to include the Blue Jays. Consequently, the Canadian audience data is excluded from U.S. Nielsen estimates. In Canada, Games 1 and 2 reached an average of 7.2 million viewers through SportsNet and RDS.
The combined U.S. and Canadian audience for the first two games totals approximately 19.8 million, representing a 27% increase from last year’s all-U.S. series. Notably, although the series draws fewer U.S. TV homes—only 5.9 million in Los Angeles—it remains significant due to the size of the L.A. market.
International Viewership
Internationally, Major League Baseball reported that Games 1 and 2 averaged 10.7 million viewers in Japan, home to Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. When combining viewership figures from the U.S., Canada, and Japan, the World Series first two games averaged 30.5 million viewers.
While the inclusion of international audiences complicates direct comparisons, the overall interest in this year’s Dodgers and Blue Jays matchup suggests a healthy engagement with baseball during the Fall Classic.
