The opening weekend of Major League Baseball (MLB) saw a surge in viewership for ESPN and Fox Sports, MLB’s national television partners. Both broadcasters reported double-digit growth in viewership for their coverage of the games.
ESPN’s broadcast of the Texas Rangers’ opening day victory over the Chicago Cubs attracted 1.58 million viewers. The network also saw an increase in viewership for its Sunday Night Baseball broadcast featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers’ win over the St. Louis Cardinals, with 1.82 million viewers tuning in, up 17 percent from last year.
Fox Sports’ Saturday broadcasts, which included games featuring the New York Yankees and Houston Astros, experienced a 14 percent increase in viewership compared to last year’s opening game, drawing 2.53 million viewers. Additionally, MLB viewership on Fox Sports’ linear channel FS1 was the network’s best for any regular season game since August 2021.
MLB.TV, the league’s direct-to-consumer service, also saw record viewership during the opening weekend. The Yankees’ game against the Astros on opening day became the most-watched game ever on the platform, with over 436 million minutes watched across a four-day period, a six percent increase from last season.
MLB’s social media accounts gained a record 125,900 new followers and had 19.8 million engagements during the opening weekend. The league’s app recorded over 30 million visits, a record for any four-day period.
Looking ahead to future seasons, MLB is planning to start next season with games in Japan and expects further increases in viewership as it continues to expand its global presence.
In summary: MLB experienced significant growth in viewership for ESPN and Fox Sports during its opening weekend games compared to last year
