The 2024 World Series continues to captivate baseball fans across the United States, with Game 4 drawing an impressive average of 16.7 million viewers. This makes it the most-watched Major League Baseball game of the decade, surpassing even the viewership numbers of recent NBA games.
The nail-biting match between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers peaked at 18.2 million viewers between 10:15 and 10:30 pm ET. This surge in viewership coincided with the game's most intense moments, as the Yankees fought to stay alive in the series.
Tuesday night's game marked a significant increase in audience compared to last year's World Series. The viewership for Game 4 nearly doubled, showing a 92% rise from the 2023 matchup between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, which drew 8.48 million viewers.
This year's World Series is averaging close to 15 million viewers per game, making it the most-watched Fall Classic since the 2017 showdown between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers. If the series extends to six or seven games, these numbers are likely to climb even higher.
The strong performance of Game 4 can be attributed to several factors. Unlike the previous games, which faced stiff competition from college football and Monday Night Football, Tuesday's game had a more favorable time slot with less competition from other major sporting events.
As the series progresses, baseball fans are tuning in in greater numbers. Game 1 drew 15.2 million viewers, the highest for an opening game since 2017. Game 2 attracted 13.8 million viewers, while Game 3 brought in 13.2 million.
With the Dodgers leading the series 3-1, all eyes are now on Game 5. If the Yankees manage to force the series back to Los Angeles for Games 6 and 7, viewership numbers are expected to soar even higher, potentially setting new records for baseball broadcasts in recent years.