11/10 Update: As we reported earlier, the 2008 World Series, bedeviled by both the weather and unpopular teams, was the lowest rated/least viewed in modern TV history. The chart and table have been updated with the final 2008 numbers.
The Tampa Bay Rays (TV market #13) beat the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS to face the Philadelphia Phillies (TV market #4) in the 2008 World Series and now Fox faces the prospect of record low World Series TV ratings. The Red Sox would easily have kept the ratings out of record (low) territory, but its hard to imagine a worse team for ratings from the AL than the Tampa Bay Rays. A team that barely has a fan base in its own city, and with no national fan base at all. The Phillies have a big local TV market, but that will matter little, they have a relatively small national fan base. As much as the sports world loves to complain about the Yanks and Sox, baseball TV ratings depend on them in the post-season.
In this century, for World Series average viewership to break 20 million, it requires the Yankees or the Red Sox playing. Although in 2000, even the Yankees couldn’t pull an all NY matchup above 20 million. This year, I’m confident we’ll see the lowest average viewership of any World Series in the last 40 years (as far back as our data goes), lower than 2006 St. Louis Cardinals v. Detriot Tigers matchup which averaged 15.81 million viewers.
Full World Series Ratings Data, 1968-2008:
| Year | Net | #Telecasts | Rating | Share | Homes | Viewers | Teams |
| 2008 | FOX | 5 | 8.4 | 14 | 13,635,000 | Tampa Bay Rays/Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 2007 | FOX | 4 | 10.6 | 18 | 11,994,000 | 17,123,000 | Boston Red Sox / Colorado Rockies |
| 2006 | FOX | 5 | 10.1 | 17 | 11,282,000 | 15,812,000 | St. Louis Cardinals /Detroit Tigers |
| 2005 | FOX | 4 | 11.1 | 19 | 12,272,000 | 17,162,000 | Chicago White Sox/Houston Astros |
| 2004 | FOX | 4 | 15.8 | 26 | 17,270,000 | 25,390,000 | Boston Red Sox/St. Louis Cardinals |
| 2003 | FOX | 6 | 12.8 | 22 | 13,834,000 | 20,142,000 | Florida Marlins / NY Yankees |
| 2002 | FOX | 7 | 11.9 | 20 | 12,645,000 | 19,261,000 | Anahiem Angels/San Francisco Giants |
| 2001 | FOX | 7 | 15.7 | 26 | 16,519,000 | 24,528,000 | Arizona Diamnondbacks / NY Yankees |
| 2000 | FOX | 5 | 12.4 | 21 | 12,657,000 | 18,081,000 | NY Yankees / NY Mets |
| 1999 | NBC | 4 | 16.0 | 26 | 16,105,000 | 23,731,000 | NY Yankees / Atlanta Braves |
| 1998 | FOX | 4 | 14.1 | 24 | 14,050,000 | 20,340,000 | NY Yankees / San Diego Padres |
| 1997 | NBC | 7 | 16.7 | 29 | 16,410,000 | 24,790,000 | Florida Marlins / Cleveland Indians |
| 1996 | FOX | 6 | 17.4 | 29 | 16,890,000 | 25,220,000 | NY Yankees / Atlanta Braves |
| 1995 | ABC | 6 | 19.5 | 33 | 18,710,000 | 28,970,000 | Atlanta Braves / Cleveland Indians |
| 1994 | Baseball Strike | ||||||
| 1993 | CBS | 6 | 17.3 | 30 | 16,330,000 | 24,700,000 | Toronto Blue Jays / Philadelphia Phillies |
| 1992 | CBS | 6 | 20.2 | 34 | 18,820,000 | 30,010,000 | Toronto Blue Jays / Atlanta Braves |
| 1991 | CBS | 7 | 24.0 | 39 | 22,060,000 | 35,680,000 | Minnesota Twins / Atlanta Braves |
| 1990 | CBS | 4 | 20.8 | 36 | 19,320,000 | 30,240,000 | Cincinnati Reds / Oakland Athletics |
| 1989 | ABC | 4 | 16.4 | 29 | 15,090,000 | 24,550,000 | Oakland Athletics / San Francisco Giants |
| 1988 | NBC | 5 | 23.9 | 39 | 21,610,000 | 34,490,000 | Los Angeles Dodgers / Oakland Athletics |
| 1987 | ABC | 7 | 24.0 | 41 | 21,230,000 | 35,340,000 | Minnesota Twins / St. Louis Cardinals |
| 1986 | NBC | 7 | 28.6 | 46 | 23,640,000 | 36,370,000 | New York Mets / Boston Red Sox |
| 1985 | ABC | 7 | 25.3 | 39 | 21,740,000 | 34,510,000 | Kansas City Royals / St. Louis Cardinals |
| 1984 | NBC | 5 | 22.9 | 40 | 19,270,000 | 28,010,000 | Detroit Tigers / San Diego Padres |
| 1983 | ABC | 5 | 23.3 | 41 | 19,570,000 | 29,540,000 | Baltimore Orioles / Philadelphia Phillies |
| 1982 | NBC | 7 | 27.9 | 49 | 23,370,000 | 38,070,000 | St. Louis Cardinals / Milwaukee Brewers |
| 1981 | ABC | 6 | 30.0 | 49 | 24,480,000 | 41,370,000 | Los Angeles Dodgers / NY Yankees |
| 1980 | NBC | 6 | 32.8 | 56 | 25,380,000 | 42,300,000 | Philadelphia Phillies / Kansas City Royals |
| 1979 | ABC | 7 | 28.5 | 50 | 21,730,000 | 37,960,000 | Pittsburgh Pirates / Baltimore Orioles |
| 1978 | NBC | 6 | 32.8 | 56 | 24,450,000 | 44,278,950 | NY Yankees / Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 1977 | ABC | 6 | 29.8 | 53 | 21,720,000 | 37,150,000 | NY Yankees / Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 1976 | NBC | 4 | 27.5 | 48 | 19,580,000 | 34,720,000 | Cincinnati Reds / NY Yankees |
| 1975 | NBC | 7 | 28.7 | 52 | 19,980,000 | 35,960,000 | Cincinnati Reds / Boston Red Sox |
| 1974 | NBC | 5 | 25.6 | 46 | 17,540,000 | 29,080,000 | Oakland Athletics / Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 1973 | NBC | 7 | 30.7 | 57 | 20,320,000 | 34,750,000 | Oakland Athletics / NY Mets |
| 1972 | NBC | 7 | 27.5 | 58 | NA | NA | Oakland Athletics / Cincinnati Reds |
| 1971 | NBC | 7 | 24.2 | 59 | NA | NA | Pittsburgh Pirates / Baltimore Orioles |
| 1970 | NBC | 5 | 19.4 | 53 | NA | NA | Baltimore Orioles / Cincinnati Reds |
| 1969 | NBC | 5 | 22.4 | 58 | NA | NA | NY Mets / Baltimore Orioles |
| 1968 | NBC | 7 | 22.8 | 57 | NA | NA | Detroit Tigers / St. Louis Cardinals |
*While there were six telecasts for the 2008 series, there were only five games. The sixth telecast was the completion of game five which was suspended due to rain.
Copyright © 2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Tampa Bay Rays are going to be World Series Champs!
I agree Bill, this has no shot at getting a 15 million avg. I’m a huge baseball fan and it’s sad to see how big the ratings were in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I’m not shocked about the Mets/Red Sox in 1986 but the Royals/Cards and Twins/Cards getting 35 million viewers is really a shock. My prediction is an 11 million avg for this series.
Baseball is clearly no longer “The National Past Time”. People today want fast paced bone crunching faster paced sports like Football. Thats why regular season games are everywhere Sunday and Monday. How many regular season games are on networks? Almost none. Even All Star game gets low ratings. Who wants to watch a pitcher playing with cap for 5 minutes or contantly faking throws to 1st base in between pitches? Hockey’s appeal is limited by its appeal to mainly whites and Basketball is largely limited to blacks which is why regular season games of those sports arent on TV. Though basketball does the March Madness thing – but that mainly because of the gambling that goes along with it.
True. Plus, the Rays’ stadium is incredibly difficult to watch. The turf looks like my wife’s velour sweat pants. So not only do you have the ugliest stadium in the majors to watch on TV, you also have a bunch of redneck fans with Mohawks. It’s doomed for ratings failure. The icing on the cake would be to have Roseanne do the national anthem.
Perhaps it has something to do with the length of game and ridiculous start times in the east? Games going routinely past midnight are a real turn off for the casual fan.
Go Phillies!!
Baseball will make a comeback; but not this year. A couple things that would help; earlier start times in the east; getting past the steroid scandal; a sensational record breaker in the postseason; a salary cap.
Dave, how would a salary cap get people to start watching?
Baseball is gonna suffer from the same thing that everything else does that is getting lower and lower ratings each year on the networks. Too many other options and channels will dilute your audience.
One has to wonder though, what would a Cubs/Red Sox World Series pull in. I think it would be a lock for 30-35 million. Just imagine if those two would have met up in say 2003 when both were still in droughts. Now it’s just my poor Cubbies and each year they don’t win ends up making more and more Cubs fans give up on baseball period….not me, I will be there til the day I die whether they win it or not. Uggh.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the ratings are higher then people think. The Rays have seem to have gotten some people interest. Having said that I agree the late starts doesn’t help….especially for the East Coast…Again glad I’m on the West Coast…
I think baseball could get better ratings if they speed up the game. More pitches/hits and less stalling. Batters don’t need to walk 10 feet back after each pitch. same with pitchers.
All pitchers need the approach like David Price or Mark Buerhle. More hitters need to take the approach of barry bonds. I don’t like bonds- but he never steps away from the batters box during an at-bat.
Breaking Ball, there are no real Rays fans. Just look at last year, they were the worst team and no one really showed up to watch them play, they showed up for the other team. These “fans” are just a bunch of idiots were want to scream and shoot on TV, I can’t stand it.
This will be the lowest rated world series, MLB wishes it would have LA and the Sox, Oh well, I dont care how much Buck and Mcarver try to make it exciting it just cant be, Phillies in 4, I hope the Rays find a better State to play, somewhere in the northeast or maybe Oregon…Florida does not deserve a team, I am a Red Sox fan and that was the only time I saw the dump sell out in the regular season,and it is a dump, well them and minnesota the 2 ugliest parks in the Majors, you watch, after the first game there next year it will go back to 8000 people a game until the Yankees or the Red Sox come to town…
They should start the games at 7:00. I love baseball but do not want to stay up past 12:00 when I get up at 5:00am I will only do that for the Red Sox and even then it’s hard to stay awake. If the game was early I might watch it
John:
I disagree entirely with your remark that this World Series will not be exciting because the Phillies and Rays are contenders. Because you are a Red Sox fan, I can understand your point of view; but for Phillies fans, we are up until midnight and can’t wait for the first pitch of the next game! I suspect it was like that for you in 2004 and in 2007 and up until the Sox were eliminated in the ALCS over the weekend.
I think one of the biggest problems MLB is facing is the revenue-sharing plan, in existence for 10 years now, that has more lucrative clubs (Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, etc.) contributing to lower-market-share clubs like the Marlins, the Rays, the Rockies, KC Royals, etc. Personally, some of these clubs (the Marlins and the Rays) grossly misspent their revenue shares (on themselves probably) rather than using it for which it was intended … for the players and their retention. I think it is unconscionable for MLB clubs to subsidize other clubs. If the franchise cannot make money on its own, then it shouldn’t exist in the first place!
Yes! I was right! Lowest rated WS ever!!!!
In the near future, MLS soccer championship game will have more audience than the World Series and is awsome how popular that sport is becoming in many reagions across America
ruben, the World Series historical ratings trend is down, but there is no chance that soccer TV viewership matches it in my lifetime. I just checked and our latest data from Nielsen is from 2003 (not sure why), but its not even in the same order of magnitude as World Series numbers.
Number of Household Number Number
Year Date Network Telecasts Time Rating Share of Homes of Persons Winner
2003 11-23-03 ABC 1 3:30-6:00pm 0.6 1 702,000 876,000 San Jose Earthquakes
2002 10-20-02 ABC 1 1:30-4:14pm 0.8 2 845,000 1,169,000 Los Angeles Galaxy
2001 10-21-01 ABC 1 12:30-3:06pm 1.0 2 1,031,000 1,501,000 San Jose Earthquakes
2000 10-15-00 ABC 1 1:30-4pm 0.7 2 690,000 1,248,000 Kansas City Wizards
1999 11-21-99 ABC 1 1:30-4pm 0.7 2 670,000 1,727,000 D.C. United
1998 10-25-98 ABC 1 3:30-6pm 1.0 2 950,000 1,177,000 Chicago Fire
1997 10-26-97 ABC 1 3:30-6pm 1.4 3 1,370,000 1,615,000 D.C. United
1996 10-20-96 ABC 1 3:30-6pm 1.4 3 1,330,000 1,590,000 D.C. United