A comprehensive analysis of World Series television ratings, as compiled by Nielsen Media Research, along with broadcast network data, and shares for every Major League World Series where data is researched below. Television rates were first made available in 1968, and are current through the 2023 World Series. Research by Baseball Almanac.
"I don't have any reaction right now (when asked about the 2000 World Series ratings). I'm going to study them over the weekend, and I'll have a comment next week." - Selig, Bud. Major League Baseball Commissioner. Subway Series Strikes Out. Fendrich, Howard. ABC News Anchor. 28 October 2000.
World Series Television RatingsTelevision Analysis & Ratings Breakdown |
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Series | Network | Rating | Share | Viewers | Rank |
1968 | NBC | 22.8 | 57 | -- | -- |
1969 | NBC | 22.4 | 58 | -- | -- |
1970 | NBC | 19.4 | 53 | -- | -- |
1971 | NBC | 24.2 | 59 | -- | -- |
1972 | NBC | 27.6 | 58 | -- | -- |
1973 | NBC | 30.7 | 57 | 34,750,000 | 11. |
1974 | NBC | 25.6 | 46 | 29,080,000 | 18. |
1975 | NBC | 28.7 | 52 | 35,960,000 | 8. |
1976 | NBC | 27.5 | 48 | 34,720,000 | 12. |
1977 | ABC | 29.8 | 53 | 37,150,000 | 6. |
1978 | NBC | 32.8 | 56 | 44,278,950 | 1. |
1979 | ABC | 28.5 | 50 | 37,960,000 | 5. |
1980 | NBC | 32.8 | 56 | 42,300,000 | 2. |
1981 | ABC | 30.0 | 49 | 41,370,000 | 3. |
1982 | NBC | 27.9 | 49 | 38,070,000 | 4. |
1983 | ABC | 23.3 | 41 | 29,540,000 | 17. |
1984 | NBC | 22.9 | 40 | 28,010,000 | 20. |
1985 | ABC | 25.3 | 39 | 34,510,000 | 13. |
1986 | NBC | 28.6 | 46 | 36,370,000 | 7. |
1987 | ABC | 24.0 | 41 | 35,340,000 | 10. |
1988 | NBC | 23.9 | 39 | 34,490,000 | 14. |
1989 | ABC | 16.4 | 29 | 24,550,000 | 25. |
1990 | CBS | 20.8 | 36 | 30,240,000 | 15. |
1991 | CBS | 24.0 | 39 | 35,680,000 | 9. |
1992 | CBS | 20.2 | 34 | 30,010,000 | 16. |
1993 | CBS | 17.3 | 30 | 24,700,000 | 24. |
1994 | Strike | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
1995 | ABC / NBC | 19.5 | 33 | 28,970,000 | 19. |
1996 | FOX | 17.4 | 29 | 25,220,000 | 22. |
1997 | NBC | 16.7 | 29 | 24,790,000 | 23. |
1998 | FOX | 14.1 | 24 | 20,340,000 | 29. |
1999 | NBC | 16.0 | 26 | 23,731,000 | 27. |
2000 | FOX | 12.4 | 21 | 18,081,000 | 34. |
2001 | FOX | 15.7 | 26 | 24,528,000 | 26. |
2002 | FOX | 11.9 | 20 | 19,261,000 | 32. |
2003 | FOX | 12.8 | 22 | 20,143,000 | 30. |
2004 | FOX | 15.8 | 26 | 25,390,000 | 21. |
2005 | FOX | 11.1 | 19 | 17,162,000 | 36. |
2006 | FOX | 10.1 | 17 | 15,795,000 | 38. |
2007 | FOX | 10.6 | 18 | 17,212,000 | 35. |
2008 | FOX | 8.4 | 14 | 13,198,000 | 45. |
2009 | FOX | 11.7 | 19 | 19,334,000 | 31. |
2010 | FOX | 8.4 | 14 | 14,217,000 | 41. |
2011 | FOX | 10.0 | 16 | 16,521,000 | 37. |
2012 | FOX | 7.6 | 12 | 12,636,000 | 46. |
2013 | FOX | 8.9 | 15 | 14,984,000 | 39. |
2014 | FOX | 8.2 | 14 | 13,930,000 | 43. |
2015 | FOX | 8.6 | 16 | 14,533,000 | 40. |
2016 | FOX | 12.9 | 23 | 22,847,000 | 28. |
2017 | FOX | 10.6 | 20 | 18,705,000 | 33. |
2018 | FOX | 8.3 | 17 | 14,125,000 | 42. |
2019 | FOX | 8.1 | 16 | 13,912,000 | 44. |
2020 | FOX | 5.2 | 12 | 9,780,000 | 49. |
2021 | FOX | 6.5 | 16 | 11,750,000 | 47. |
2022 | FOX | 6.1 | 17 | 11,780,000 | 48. |
2023 | FOX | 4.7 | 14 | 9,082,000 | 50. |
2024 | FOX | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Year | Network | Rating | Share | Viewers | Rank |
World Series TV Ratings | Research by Baseball Almanac |
The year after Fox Sports signed a long term contract they were greeted with the ratings during the 2000 World Series. Fox Sports President Ed Goren said, "There's no question the viewership never built. Normally, through a Series, it builds from game one to a game two, from a game two to a game three. We would have liked to have seen higher numbers, but they are respectable in today's world."
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Nielsen Ratings Official Television Ratings Worksheet
The Associated Press defines a "rating" as the percentage of households with televisions watching a program and the share is the percentage of households watching a program among those with televisons in use at the time. Each national share point represented 3,117,000 homes in 2022 (each year the number changes: in 2003 it was 1,084,000; in 2002 it was 1,067,000; in 2001 it was 1,055,000; in 1999 it was 1,008,000). A "share" is the percentage watching a program among those households with televisions on at the time.
Did you know that during the 2000 Subway Series, 61% of the televisions in New York watched Game 5? Did you know that the next thirty largest television markets, during that same exact viewing period, registered double digit percentage losses compared to the market in New York City?