World Series television ratings
by Nielsen Media Research, commonly referred to as Nielsen ratings, has provided World Series television ratings since at least 1963. Key measurements are ratings, the percentage of all U.S. television-equipped households that watched a game, share, the percentage of television sets in use that were tuned to a game, and total viewers, the average number of people watching a game throughout its duration.
The highest ratings for an entire World Series is tied between, featuring the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, and, featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals. Both series went six games and averaged a rating of 32.8 and a share of 56. Average viewership was slightly larger in 1978 than in 1980.
The lowest ratings for an entire World Series was in, a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers by the San Francisco Giants, which averaged a 7.6 rating and a 12 share, with an average viewership of 12.636 million.
The highest-rated individual game in World Series history was Game 6 in, when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals; the game had a 40.0 rating. The only other games with a rating of 39 or higher were Game 7 in, when the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Boston Red Sox, with a 39.6 rating, and Game 4 in, when the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the New York Yankees, with a 39.5 rating. The most-viewed game was Game 7 in, when the New York Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox; with a rating of 38.9, its viewership is estimated at 55 to 60 million.
The lowest-rated individual game was Game 4 in, which had a 5.9 rating, falling below the 6.1 rating of Game 3 in and Game 3 in. Game 3 in 2008 had the smallest viewership in World Series history, 9.836 million, as a rain delay moved the start of the game to after 10p.m. on the East Coast with the game not ending until 1:47a.m.
The most recent World Series game to record a rating of 30 or higher was Game 7 in, as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Atlanta Braves; the game had a viewership of 50.340 million. Game 7 in between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians had an average viewership of 40.045 million -- the most-watched World Series game in 25 years dating back to 1991 -- and peaked at 49.9 million viewers, and Fox estimated more than 75 million people watched all or part of the game.
All four major U.S. broadcast television networks have broadcast the World Series. Fox has been the exclusive broadcast network for the World Series since, and has a contract with MLB to carry the World Series through 2028.
Viewership/rating by year
The below graph shows the average number of viewers for each World Series since 1973; older Nielsen records lack average viewer counts.Least and most viewed World Series
These tables list the World Series with the smallest and largest average viewership since 1973.| Rank | Year | Average | Games |
| 1 | 2012 | 12.636 M | 4 |
| 2 | 2008 | 13.193 M | 5 |
| 3 | 2019 | 13.912 M | 7 |
| 4 | 2014 | 13.930 M | 7 |
| 5 | 2018 | 14.125 M | 5 |
| Rank | Year | Average | Games |
| 1 | 1978 | 44.279 M | 6 |
| 2 | 1980 | 42.300 M | 6 |
| 3 | 1981 | 41.370 M | 6 |
| 4 | 1982 | 38.070 M | 7 |
| 5 | 1979 | 37.960 M | 7 |
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Viewership records for Games 1–7
The following table shows the viewership records—both largest and smallest—for games one through seven in a World Series since 1973.| Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | |
| Highest | 43.510 M | 42.990 M | 43.810 M | 39.220 M | 48.990 M | 54.860 M | 55–60 M |
| Lowest | 12.191 M | 11.925 M | 9.836 M | 10.219 M | 11.390 M | 13.372 M | 23.013 M |
Television ratings by year
Figures are expressed as ratings/share. Ratings represent the percentage of U.S. households that watched the game on television. Share represents the percentage of television sets in use that were tuned to the game.| Most viewers for each Game or Average | |
| Fewest viewers for each Game or Average |
Source: 1968 through 2007 figures are per Nielsen documents; more recent years per inline citations.