World Series TV Viewership Blows Past Expectations

St. Petersburg, Fla. — The modestly-funded World Series has outperformed expectations in terms of U.S. viewership, delivering impressive audience numbers for the initial series of games. According to Fox Sports, the network averaged 12.26 million viewers across Fox Deportes, Univision, and its own broadcasts for Game 1 between the Rays and Brewers, a decrease of 8% from the 13.3 million viewers during the same period last year.

The opening game outperformed comparable Game 1s from 2021 to 2023, which did not feature the Dodgers, as well as the 2020 pandemic-impacted World Series. Game 2 averaged 10.85 million viewers, representing a 6% decline compared to the 11.6 million viewers for Game 2 in 2025. Many had anticipated that Fox Sports would face difficulties with this year’s World Series due to the absence of major-market teams such as the Dodgers, Yankees, or Phillies.

However, the league and Fox Sports remained optimistic, particularly after the Milwaukee team achieved the highest local-market rating for a World Series Game 1 since 2019. The ardent support of Brewers fans contributed significantly to the success. Despite being MLB’s smallest market, the Brewers' devoted fanbase established several ticket and merchandise records.

In Game 3, thousands of Brewers fans present at the Rays’ Tropicana Field made the game feel like a Milwaukee home game, and the momentum continued with a higher performance in Game 4. The Milwaukee team advanced to a commanding 3–0 lead in the World Series, aiming to secure their first championship in franchise history. This victory would fulfill a vision set by former club owner and MLB commissioner emeritus Bud Selig, who relocated the Seattle Pilots to Milwaukee in 1970.