World Series Game 1 Gets Eye-Popping Local Milwaukee Ratings

Early indications suggest that World Series Game 1 was a ratings success, particularly in Milwaukee, a market known for its small media reach. On Friday, the game, won by the Brewers, drew an average of 12.2 million viewers across both English-language coverage on Fox Sports and Spanish-language coverage on Univision, according to sources.

This figure, while still preliminary, could potentially surpass the 13.3 million average viewership from the same time last year's World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays. The high viewership is largely attributed to the Brewers' fanbase in Milwaukee. Despite the city's position as MLB's smallest media market, Fox Sports reported a 33.9 rating and 70 share for the game, marking the best local number for a World Series Game 1 in seven years.

Mike Mulvihill, Fox's president of insights and analytics, confirmed this achievement. The optimism among MLB and Fox Sports about the event's performance is grounded in the strong fan passion of the Brewers' supporters, which has set various records and milestones.