TV ratings for Game 1 of World Series down from last year
- Share via
The World Series is off to a slower start in TV ratings compared with last year.
According to Nielsen, Tuesday night’s Game 1, in which the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-1, drew an average of 12.2 million viewers, down about 15% from last year’s Game 1 telecast.
The Fox telecast dropped to a household rating of 7.3 compared with 8.6 last year.
The ratings tied with the low 2012 series opener, in which the Giants defeated the Detroit Tigers, 8-3. The 2012 World Series, a four-game sweep of the Tigers by the Giants, was the least-watched Fall Classic ever.
Last year’s Game 1 between the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals was up 18% from 2012’s Game 1.
Despite the ratings decline, Fox beat the other networks in the key 18-to-49-year-old demographic with a rating of 3.4.
According to Fox, the game was the highest-rated and most-watched prime-time broadcast since an episode of “American Idol” in February.
In local markets, the game posted a rating of 48.2 in Kansas City, the highest for a World Series Game 1 in any market since 2007. The game also did well in San Francisco, with a rating of 29.3, followed by Sacramento at 23.0, St. Louis at 13.3 and Las Vegas at 11.1.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Kansas City.
For more news on the entertainment industry, follow me @saba_h
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
