Finally, after some ratings woes, a moment that was generations in the making for the Texas Rangers wasn’t met with complete indifference from the wider American audience.
According to Nielsen, 11.481 million people watched Game 5 of the 2023 World Series on FOX, garnering a 6.0 rating. A rating represents a percentage of all television sets in a given geography. Those represent the high marks for a series that posted three of the least viewed championship games since ratings and viewership numbers were made available in 1968.
The 2023 Fall Classic is the least-watched series of all-time, with the five games between the Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks averaging a 4.7 rating and 9.11 million viewers. The previous record-low was the 2020 “bubble” World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers, which averaged a 5.2 rating and 9.95 million viewers. Even those numbers felt like a miracle considering that the squabbles between MLB and the players’ union almost led to a cancellation of that season in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch noted that locally, as one would expect, the ratings were pretty strong:
“Dallas-Ft. Worth led all markets for the World Series with a 20.3 rating and 51 share. The Rangers’ two previous World Series averaged ratings of 38.1 (2011) and 31.1 (2010), with the caveat that such comparisons are not apples-to-apples due to changes in Nielsen’s methodology. Phoenix placed second with a 16.0/43, followed by two more Texas markets — Austin (9.2/29) and San Antonio (8.0/23).”
Fans of the winning team shouldn’t care one bit about how many people around the country did or didn’t watch their shining moment. Nielsen numbers aren’t etched onto the Commissioner’s Trophy nor will they appear on the World Series banner due to rise at the Rangers’ 2024 opener at Globe Life Park next spring. Though the historically low viewership is a sign of concern for FOX in future seasons – advertisers may consider how much they are willing to spend if their commercials are seen by a further dwindling audience – it’s certainly not one for anyone in the Dallas metroplex.
