MLB Wild-Card Round Sets TV Ratings Record

The Mets’ roller-coaster ride through the first round of the MLB Playoffs helped drive ESPN to record wild-card TV audiences.

This year’s nine-game 2024 Wild Card Series averaged 2.82 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, and sister Disney network ABC. That made it the most-watched wild-card series ever. It was up 25% from last year and 1% from 2022.

The Mets’ come-from-behind win over the Brewers in Thursday night’s decisive Game 3 was a key driver of the record numbers. New York’s 4-2 win averaged 4.02 million viewers—peaking at a hefty 5.75 million around 9:45 p.m. ET.

That made it ESPN’s most-watched MLB game telecast since the Red Sox’s win-or-go-home wild-card victory over the Yankees in 2021. The Mets moved on and will play the arch-rival Phillies in the National League Division Series.

In the modern wild-card series era, the Mets have played in the five most-watched games, according to Sports Media Watch: the final two games against the Brewers this year and all three games against the Padres in 2022.