US World Series viewers drop 14% for first two games of Dodgers-Blue Jays matchup
October 29, 2025
US World Series viewers drop 14% for first two games of Dodgers-Blue Jays matchup
40 comments
I’m sure it’s way up in the rest of the world, though, especially Canada and Japan.
I don’t even think about where players are from. That being said it isn’t two US teams in the world series so that would make sense that some baseball fans drop. Also last year were the two biggest fan bases in it so that makes sense less watching this year.
My favorite players are all Dominican and i am a classic white from idaho. Viva José Ramírez. Also Go Jays for the next 5 days
8PM game means I can watch for about 40 minutes before I go to sleep for work.
Edit: Sorry to everyone I’ve offended with my life choices.
Breaking: World Series that had two largest media markets in the US last year sees drop when one of those markets is replaced with smaller market. More at 11!
I don’t think they count Canadian or World viewership. They only count US viewership so definitely there will be a drop as other fan bases in the US wouldn’t be as engaged.
Their scheduling is horrible.
That should surprise no one. Last year was a classic rivalry of two big market teams.
I personally believe that U.S. Americans aren’t watching the baseball series and such like because the Philadelphians did not make it to the playoffs
I think its important to note that basketball season just started so a lot of people that were watching the WS casually because nothing else was on are probably watching their home basketball team instead.
Yeah one of the teams isn’t in the united states
Dodger Fatigue
Unless you’re a Dodgers fan you probably don’t like them or tired of hearing about them. The Jays are a Canadian market.
None of this should be surprising.
I think it just comes down to who the two teams are.
The Blue Jays don’t play in the US, so their US media market really isn’t there.
And the Dodgers have a massive media market, in their area. But a lot of the rest of the country is tired of seeing the Dodgers. So a lot of them just tuned it out.
Additionally, a lot of viewers I think were pulling for the Mariners in the ALCS. They’ve got that lovable underdog feel to them. And the Mariners have never made a World Series. So when they got bounced, it’s not like those people then pivoted to rooting for the Blue Jays. They just walked away.
So when only one US team makes the WS then US viewing drops? Fascinating
What about access? I don’t want to pay for another streaming service to get it!
Might be because its an expensive pain in the dick to watch live sports.
I’ve started to realize this and it goes to all sports (maybe NHL exception). They are getting so much money from all the streaming networks and TV networks that they don’t actually care about the viewers. Adam silver admitted that in his press conf. With the new NBA deal.
The odds of viewership dropping to a level where the networks would want to re do the current deal will never happen.
And the networks or services are forced to pony up because if they don’t someone else will beat them out for it.
It used to be they didn’t care about the fans at the game and just who is watching on TV. I feel like now it’s getting to the point where it’s we don’t care who watches we are gonna get paid a ton of money regardless.
I recall at some point MLB would do away with WS games starting after 8.
What’s the World Series?!?!? I thought that was just the annual Pirates Alumni game.
— Confused Pirates fan
Now how much did Canadian viewership increase from last year? Are we supposed to feel bad because advertisers aren’t getting the maximum amount of eyeballs on the screen? LOL
We are sick of soulless corporate spending ruining a sport. All the gambling ads are a huge turn off as well. It’s the team that spends the most money wins. It’s empty and cold.
I don’t care about ratings or viewership. The games will be played regardless. The networks are trying to make me be engaged in the success of their company brand that does not affect me so I do not care. If they refused to cover the games it’s not like the games will not be played. We’ll find out the results anyway from some other source. Screw them.
For people bitching about the times? It’s always been this way with time zones. The US doesn’t have an Atlantic time zone, unlike Canada, but on the other end, it’s got Alaska-Hawaii time zone.
That said, obviously, the main reason US viewership is down is that one of the two teams is not from the US. Duh.
“Clickbait 2 Houston.”
That said, the OP didn’t quote the opening paragraph:
>MLB said the combined 32.6 million viewers for the opener in the U.S., Canada and Japan were its highest since the Chicago Cubs ended their 108-year title drought by beating Cleveland in Game 7 of the 2016 Series.
There you go.
The series is totally non-compelling. Baseball, my favorite sport, has become non-compelling other than to attend an occasional local game. The economics are flawed and the separation between haves and have nots are driving people away. We need a lockout…and a very long one.
I wonder if they just alternated between a west coast and east coast start time for each game it would help instead of going King Solomon and splitting the baby.
You mean a TORONTO vs. LA matchup is getting less United Stares viewers than a LA vs. NY matchup? You don’t say?
Like, no shit.
A Canadian team that has the 5th highest payroll and then the most hated team in MLB currently with the most insane payroll in MLB history. Normally most Americans would root for the non-Canadian team but in this case, everyone outside LA hates the Fraudgers so I can see most people not paying attention to this series at all.
Ughh. Complete trash fake news.
(USA) viewership is down 14% vs last yr – Which is incredible high considering one of the teams isn’t even in the USA. And last yr was two of the biggest markets facing off.
And still despite that. Actual (global) viewership is UP. By 10%. Last yr avg 30M global viewership, this yr 33M viewers.
This has been one of. If not the highest viewed World Series in MLB history.
One of the highest viewed in USA. And by far the highest viewed globally.
Major League Baseball is a predominantly local sport. Phillies fans watch the Phillies. Yankees fans watch the Yankees. Mets fans hate themselves so they watch the Mets.
I love baseball but I’m not going out of my way to watch the Blue Jays and Dodgers if I have other options. It ain’t the NFL and that’s ok.
Hey east coasters if you wanna stop bitching about the time then the east coast NL teams need to make the WS 😂
It’s hard with the last World Series was Yankees Dodgers. They’re the two biggest franchisees in the league. Anything would’ve been a drop off except a rematch.
It’s the highest combined viewership between Canada, Japan, and US since game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
I mean it’s the blue jays vs the Yankees last year. Of course it’s down on that
The entire fanbase of one of the teams doesn’t count for this number since Canada is excluded from these ratings.
I think im surprised its only down by 14% compared to to dodgets vs yankees world series in US. It can’t get any better than that matchup in terms of hype.
This year one team was heavily favored by media to easily win this series and the opponent is not even an us team. I think 14% down is surprising good for first two. Probably it will get higher in game 5-7 as media is loving the current series so far
Here’s an idea, maybe don’t make me pay for MLBTV to watch out of market games, and also my local carrier’s package to watch in market games, and then a fucking completely different subscription to watch anything in the postseason!!! I’d watch it if I didn’t have to pay through the nose a month to do so. I already pay too much just to watch regular season games because of stupid blackouts, let me watch the postseason on the same platform
I think its a larger cultural problem.
People are more silo’d off these days into their own entertainment streaming/tik tok bubbles and its not uncommon to just hold off on watching games altogether and get updates from the app. Plus most people under 40 are much less likely to even own a TV. Not sure how the eastern streams are accounted.
Dodger fatigue
It’s all thanks to that Reagan tarrif TV ad! Americans will do anything to avoid learning the truth! 🤣
(it only aired during those 2 games if you didn’t know)
Compared to what? Last year? No shit when it was NY vs LA nothing is going to draw that kind of attention. I think it’s a fairly small drop considering it’s TO in it
40 comments
I’m sure it’s way up in the rest of the world, though, especially Canada and Japan.
I don’t even think about where players are from. That being said it isn’t two US teams in the world series so that would make sense that some baseball fans drop. Also last year were the two biggest fan bases in it so that makes sense less watching this year.
My favorite players are all Dominican and i am a classic white from idaho. Viva José Ramírez. Also Go Jays for the next 5 days
8PM game means I can watch for about 40 minutes before I go to sleep for work.
Edit: Sorry to everyone I’ve offended with my life choices.
Breaking: World Series that had two largest media markets in the US last year sees drop when one of those markets is replaced with smaller market. More at 11!
I don’t think they count Canadian or World viewership. They only count US viewership so definitely there will be a drop as other fan bases in the US wouldn’t be as engaged.
Their scheduling is horrible.
That should surprise no one. Last year was a classic rivalry of two big market teams.
I personally believe that U.S. Americans aren’t watching the baseball series and such like because the Philadelphians did not make it to the playoffs
I think its important to note that basketball season just started so a lot of people that were watching the WS casually because nothing else was on are probably watching their home basketball team instead.
Yeah one of the teams isn’t in the united states
Dodger Fatigue
Unless you’re a Dodgers fan you probably don’t like them or tired of hearing about them. The Jays are a Canadian market.
None of this should be surprising.
I think it just comes down to who the two teams are.
The Blue Jays don’t play in the US, so their US media market really isn’t there.
And the Dodgers have a massive media market, in their area. But a lot of the rest of the country is tired of seeing the Dodgers. So a lot of them just tuned it out.
Additionally, a lot of viewers I think were pulling for the Mariners in the ALCS. They’ve got that lovable underdog feel to them. And the Mariners have never made a World Series. So when they got bounced, it’s not like those people then pivoted to rooting for the Blue Jays. They just walked away.
So when only one US team makes the WS then US viewing drops? Fascinating
What about access? I don’t want to pay for another streaming service to get it!
Might be because its an expensive pain in the dick to watch live sports.
I’ve started to realize this and it goes to all sports (maybe NHL exception). They are getting so much money from all the streaming networks and TV networks that they don’t actually care about the viewers. Adam silver admitted that in his press conf. With the new NBA deal.
The odds of viewership dropping to a level where the networks would want to re do the current deal will never happen.
And the networks or services are forced to pony up because if they don’t someone else will beat them out for it.
It used to be they didn’t care about the fans at the game and just who is watching on TV. I feel like now it’s getting to the point where it’s we don’t care who watches we are gonna get paid a ton of money regardless.
I recall at some point MLB would do away with WS games starting after 8.
What’s the World Series?!?!? I thought that was just the annual Pirates Alumni game.
— Confused Pirates fan
Now how much did Canadian viewership increase from last year? Are we supposed to feel bad because advertisers aren’t getting the maximum amount of eyeballs on the screen? LOL
We are sick of soulless corporate spending ruining a sport. All the gambling ads are a huge turn off as well. It’s the team that spends the most money wins. It’s empty and cold.
I don’t care about ratings or viewership. The games will be played regardless. The networks are trying to make me be engaged in the success of their company brand that does not affect me so I do not care. If they refused to cover the games it’s not like the games will not be played. We’ll find out the results anyway from some other source. Screw them.
For people bitching about the times? It’s always been this way with time zones. The US doesn’t have an Atlantic time zone, unlike Canada, but on the other end, it’s got Alaska-Hawaii time zone.
That said, obviously, the main reason US viewership is down is that one of the two teams is not from the US. Duh.
“Clickbait 2 Houston.”
That said, the OP didn’t quote the opening paragraph:
>MLB said the combined 32.6 million viewers for the opener in the U.S., Canada and Japan were its highest since the Chicago Cubs ended their 108-year title drought by beating Cleveland in Game 7 of the 2016 Series.
There you go.
The series is totally non-compelling. Baseball, my favorite sport, has become non-compelling other than to attend an occasional local game. The economics are flawed and the separation between haves and have nots are driving people away. We need a lockout…and a very long one.
I wonder if they just alternated between a west coast and east coast start time for each game it would help instead of going King Solomon and splitting the baby.
You mean a TORONTO vs. LA matchup is getting less United Stares viewers than a LA vs. NY matchup? You don’t say?
Like, no shit.
A Canadian team that has the 5th highest payroll and then the most hated team in MLB currently with the most insane payroll in MLB history. Normally most Americans would root for the non-Canadian team but in this case, everyone outside LA hates the Fraudgers so I can see most people not paying attention to this series at all.
Ughh. Complete trash fake news.
(USA) viewership is down 14% vs last yr – Which is incredible high considering one of the teams isn’t even in the USA. And last yr was two of the biggest markets facing off.
And still despite that. Actual (global) viewership is UP. By 10%. Last yr avg 30M global viewership, this yr 33M viewers.
This has been one of. If not the highest viewed World Series in MLB history.
One of the highest viewed in USA. And by far the highest viewed globally.
Major League Baseball is a predominantly local sport. Phillies fans watch the Phillies. Yankees fans watch the Yankees. Mets fans hate themselves so they watch the Mets.
I love baseball but I’m not going out of my way to watch the Blue Jays and Dodgers if I have other options. It ain’t the NFL and that’s ok.
Hey east coasters if you wanna stop bitching about the time then the east coast NL teams need to make the WS 😂
It’s hard with the last World Series was Yankees Dodgers. They’re the two biggest franchisees in the league. Anything would’ve been a drop off except a rematch.
It’s the highest combined viewership between Canada, Japan, and US since game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
I mean it’s the blue jays vs the Yankees last year. Of course it’s down on that
The entire fanbase of one of the teams doesn’t count for this number since Canada is excluded from these ratings.
I think im surprised its only down by 14% compared to to dodgets vs yankees world series in US. It can’t get any better than that matchup in terms of hype.
This year one team was heavily favored by media to easily win this series and the opponent is not even an us team. I think 14% down is surprising good for first two. Probably it will get higher in game 5-7 as media is loving the current series so far
Here’s an idea, maybe don’t make me pay for MLBTV to watch out of market games, and also my local carrier’s package to watch in market games, and then a fucking completely different subscription to watch anything in the postseason!!! I’d watch it if I didn’t have to pay through the nose a month to do so. I already pay too much just to watch regular season games because of stupid blackouts, let me watch the postseason on the same platform
I think its a larger cultural problem.
People are more silo’d off these days into their own entertainment streaming/tik tok bubbles and its not uncommon to just hold off on watching games altogether and get updates from the app. Plus most people under 40 are much less likely to even own a TV. Not sure how the eastern streams are accounted.
Dodger fatigue
It’s all thanks to that Reagan tarrif TV ad! Americans will do anything to avoid learning the truth! 🤣
(it only aired during those 2 games if you didn’t know)
Compared to what? Last year? No shit when it was NY vs LA nothing is going to draw that kind of attention. I think it’s a fairly small drop considering it’s TO in it