World Series Sets Japanese Records; Young U.S. Viewers Up 93%

Japan continues to post historic viewership numbers for Major League Baseball’s postseason, setting two more audience records to begin the World Series and further showcasing the league’s accelerating international growth. 

After the home country of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani registered average game totals of 12.9 million and 12.1 million during key parts of the National League Division Series and NL Championship Series, respectively, Games 1 and 2 of the Fall Classic performed even better. 

The World Series opener between the Dodgers and Yankees drew an average Japanese audience of 14.4 million. That figure was then beaten by Game 2’s 15.9 million, setting a new mark for MLB’s most-watched playoff game there. Those totals have been surpassed by only the 2024 MLB season opener in Seoul between the Dodgers and Cubs, which was a prime-time game in Japan. 

Conversely, the World Series games have been airing in the morning in Japan given the 16-hour time difference between that country and the U.S. West Coast. 

The Game 2 total beat the U.S. average of 13.8 million, despite a Japanese population roughly one-third the size of the U.S. Game 1’s figure in Japan slightly trailed the American average of 15.2 million, which was the best World Series opener since 2017. 

Ohtani, the biggest figure in a star-laden World Series, is the principal driver in these numbers, and he was in the lineup for Game 3, leading off in his customary designated hitter slot, after sustaining a partial shoulder dislocation in Game 2. 

Reaching a Younger Audience 

MLB, meanwhile, continues to make significant strides with younger audiences domestically. While the World Series viewership average thus far is up by 63% compared to last year’s, that increase pales compared to the 93% bump in viewers ages 18 to 34. That spike is the largest seen thus far for the event in any age demographic. The league’s social media platforms additionally have registered more than 345 million views through Game 2, a figure up by 229% from the comparable games to start the 2023 World Series.

League commissioner Rob Manfred previously said global growth and heightened engagement with younger fans were two of four key business initiatives going into the World Series, joining improved showcasing of individual star players and making baseball more of a national sport. 

“When you get a stage like this, it’s an opportunity to step forward,” Manfred said.