World Series Game 7 draws 26M, largest audience in 8 years
World Series Game 7 draws 26M, largest audience in 8 years
The 2025 World Series was one for the record books. With the Los Angeles Dodgers chasing the first back-to-back Championship win since 2000, and the Toronto Blue Jays looking to be the unlikely hero with their first World Series win since 1993, it was a fantastic series that carried all the way through an epic extra-inning final game win for the Dodgers. Game 7 drew a massive television audience for Fox, with preliminary ratings indicating the game averaged an estimated 26 million viewers across Fox’s broadcast and digital platforms, solidifying its place as a major sports television event. This viewership number is the highest for a World Series game since Game 7 of the 2017 Fall Classic, demonstrating the national draw of a winner-take-all championship contest.
Key Details:
- Long ball: The 2025 World Series game 7 drew in 26M viewers
- Dry spell: The number is the highest in 8 years, since Game 7 in 2017
- Dodger Dynasty: The Dodgers became the first back-to-back champs since 2000
This year’s Game 7 saw a significant boost in viewership compared to the last deciding game in 2019, which averaged just over 23 million viewers. The preliminary figures (final ratings are expected on Tuesday) for the Dodgers’ 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Blue Jays represented a roughly 10% increase over that contest. The intense nature of the game, featuring the Dodgers’ late-inning heroics to force extra innings, led to a peak viewership of approximately 31.5 million between 11:30 and 11:45 p.m. EDT.
The ratings success underscores the continued value of the World Series for Fox and Major League Baseball, especially for a series that extends to a decisive seventh game. The compelling narrative, which saw the Dodgers become the first repeat champions in 25 years, delivered a grand finale that was crucial to boosting the overall average viewership for the series.
The viewership of the World Series Game 7, although substantial, must be considered within the broader context of major American sports broadcasts. The perennial viewership champion is, by a wide margin, the Super Bowl, which regularly attracts an audience exceeding 100 million viewers, often becoming the single most-watched telecast of the year. This annual NFL final sets the standard for sports viewership, with no other annual championship event — not the World Series, the NBA Finals, or the College Football Playoff — coming close to its immense scale.
However, when compared to other non-NFL championship events, the 2025 World Series Game 7 demonstrates its elite status among annual sports properties. The estimated 26 million average audience significantly outpaced the deciding Game 7 of the most recent NBA Finals, which averaged only 16.6 million viewers, meaning the baseball finale drew over 50% more fans. By delivering a thrilling climax with a peak audience of over 31 million, the World Series reasserted itself as one of the few championship events capable of routinely breaking the 20 million viewer threshold outside of the NFL.
Fox One
Launched August 21, 2025, Fox One is a direct-to-consumer streaming service from Fox Corporation. Billed as a “major digital initiative,” Fox One brings together the full range of Fox’s leading news, sports, and entertainment brands, offering live and on-demand access in one unified platform.