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Shohei Ohtani recently became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
Megan Briggs | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
The Major League Baseball playoffs knocked it out of the park.
Sunday’s National League Championship Series opener between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers averaged 8.26 million viewers. Fox Sports TV and streaming networks, making it the most-watched LCS game on any network since 2009, according to Fox Sports.
Game 1 of the American League Championship Series Monday night between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians was up 4% from 2023, drawing 3.9 million viewers, according to a spokesperson from TNT Sports.
The two shows competed for national attention on “Sunday Night Football” and “Monday Night Football,” where New York’s three NFL teams played in prime time.
The Championship Series wins come on the heels of four successful league division series for MLB and its broadcast partners. The American League Division Series averaged 3 million viewers, an increase of more than 20% from 2023, according to TNT Sports. Viewership for the National League Division Series has also increased, with the fourth game of each series increasing starting in 2022.
Concerns have increased in recent years that MLB cultural relevance diminishesnamely that younger generations perceived to have shorter attention spans are aging into key demographics for media companies. Highlights and clips have become must-have programming for sports broadcasters.
Last year’s World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks also followed the worse Television ratings in championship series history, although some would have had attributed it to the teams not having much national appeal.
The 2024 regular season was also a success for MLB. The league said it has seen increases in attendance, fan engagement, streaming and viewership, which it attributes to shorter games – helped by a kick-off clock introduced last season – and rule changes that created more action in the game.
“The growing enthusiasm baseball fans of all ages have demonstrated over the past two seasons is evident in every way we track fan engagement,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a press release. “Building on last year’s momentum, the 2024 season was memorable with historic performances, emerging young stars, a series of successful special events and close pennant races.”
Mr. Met poses before the game between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets at Citi Field.
Rob Tringali | Major League Baseball | Getty Images
MLB recently implemented several rule changes intended to increase action in games, such as widening bases and restricting players. the change. The league has also relied on its generational stars like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, who are with the Dodgers and Yankees, respectively, and would compete in the World Series if each of their teams won their LCS.
“The two most famous franchises in Major League Baseball coming together and playing in the World Series, there couldn’t be anything better for baseball,” Eldridge Industries CEO Todd Boehly told Scott on Tuesday CNBC’s Wapner on “Halftime Report.” Boehly’s company owns the Dodgers, among other professional teams.
The other two remaining teams, the Mets and Guardians, have their own draws. The Mets turned their season around in June after a winning streak at McDonald’s mascot, Grimacethrow out a first pitch in a game.
The Guardians turned their season around after ceding their division lead to the Kansas City Royals in late August behind a hot September from their star Jose Ramirez.
The Yankees have a 2-0 lead against the Guardians, and the Mets-Dodgers series is tied 1-1.