The 2023 World Series set record low audience. there are a few reasons for this including a lack of interest in the two teams playing.
The Texas Rangers captured their first World Series championship defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks four games to one. The five-game series aired in primetime on Fox FOXA . For Fox it was their 24th consecutive Fall Classic and 26th overall. The games were also available on Fox Deportes and Fox streamed them.
The 2023 has become the least watched Fall Classic to date averaging 9.1 million viewers over the five games. The previous low was the pandemic World Series of 2020 which averaged 9.8 million viewers, over six games. Prior to the 2023 Fall Classic, there were only five World Series games that averaged fewer than ten million viewers. Games 1-4 in 2020 (Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay) and Game 3 in 2008 (Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays). The figure has now grown to nine games. Also, the 2023 World Series has recorded four of the five least watched World Series games.
On a positive note, despite the record low ratings, the audience delivery of the 2023 World Series remains higher than a large majority of primetime entertainment shows on broadcast and cable television. Conversely, the World Series could have benefitted with the start of the broadcast season delayed because of labor issues.
The Texas Rangers began as the Washington Senators before relocating to Texas in 1971. They had appeared in the 2010 and 2011 Fall Classic, losing both times. There are now five MLB clubs that have never won the World Series; San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays, The Arizona Diamondbacks joined the National League as an expansion team in 1998. In its only previous World Series appearance, in 2001, they defeated the New York Yankees in 7 games.
Here is game by game average audience delivery of the 2023 World Series
Game 1 (Friday, October 27): The first World Series game of 2023 averaged 9.17 million viewers on Fox, making it, at that time, the least watched World Series game to date. The previous low on Fox was the first game the 2020 World Series (Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros), averaged 9.27 million viewers. By comparison, the first game of the 2022 World Series (Houston and Philadelphia) averaged 11.48 million viewers. Nonetheless, the game was the highest rated program of the evening. In the opening game, Texas defeated Arizona, in 11 innings.
Game 2 (Saturday, October 28): The second games of the 2023 World Series averaged an even lower 8.15 million viewers. The World Series went head-to-head with a number of televised college football games. Arizona defeated Texas 9-1 to even the series at one game apiece.
Game 3 (Monday, October 30): After a travel day (and avoiding top rated Sunday Night Football), Game 3, bottomed out with an average audience of 8.
