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It Was the Highest-Rated TV Program of Any Kind Since the Super Bowl Back in February: Game 7 of the World Series Was One for the Ages

Nov 3, 2016  •  Post A Comment

Wednesday night’s winner-take-all Game 7 of the World Series is being hailed as one of the greatest moments in the history of sports, and the numbers indicate plenty of TV viewers witnessed the event.

Airing on Fox, the game saw the Chicago Cubs overcome the Cleveland Indians in 10 innings with a nail-biting 8-7 win that gave the Cubs their first World Series title since 1908. Playing at home, the Indians were trying to make history of their own by winning the Fall Classic for the first time since 1948.

“One of the most exceptional Major League Baseball games of the modern era, a historic, tension-filled night from Progressive Field in Cleveland, World Series Game 7 between the Cubs and Cleveland Indians delivered a remarkable 25.2/40 overnight rating/share, according to Nielsen Media Research,” Fox Sports reported this morning.

It was the best metered-market rating for a World Series game since 2001, when Game 7 between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks delivered a 27.0/38. The telecast is also projected to be the most-watched program airing on a single network since Super Bowl 50 aired back in February.

“World Series Game 7 showed a +66% increase over 2014 (vs.15.2/24; San Francisco Giants vs. Kansas City Royals), the last time the Fall Classic went the distance, and projects to be Fox’s best Wednesday night in prime time since January of 2007,” Fox announced. “The game is also on track to be Fox’s highest-rated telecast of any kind since the NFC Championship in January of this year (29.1/52).”

The announcement adds: “Over seven games, the World Series on Fox averaged a 14.9/25 in the metered markets and ranks as the best average for a World Series since 2004’s 17.3/26 (Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals — four game sweep). The metered market average for the 2016 World Series delivered a +64% increase over 2014 (vs. 9.1/14) and is up +48% over last year’s World Series between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals, which ended in five games (vs. 10.1/17).”

The turnout in the two markets involved in the Series was spectacular. Chicago led all markets with a 51.2/71 overnight rating/share, while the Cleveland market posted a 48.6/69.

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