MLB sees double-digit viewership increases in US and Japan

By: The Associated Press Posted: 4:15 PM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s viewer numbers in the United States and Japan during the first two months of the season have seen double-digit increases, MLB and Nielsen reported Tuesday.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s viewer numbers in the United States and Japan during the first two months of the season have seen double-digit increases, MLB and Nielsen reported Tuesday.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/06/2025 (460 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s viewer numbers in the United States and Japan during the first two months of the season have seen double-digit increases, MLB and Nielsen reported Tuesday.

ESPN’s coverage is up 22%, averaging 1.74 million viewers. It is the most-watched season on ESPN through the first two months since 2017.

This might be the last year ESPN is carrying baseball after it opted out of its rights deal in February.

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases on a solo home run in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, June 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

The MLB Tuesday package on TBS has a 16% increase. Fox Sports is up 10%, averaging 1.84 million viewers per game.

Last Saturday night’s 18-2 rout by the Los Angeles Dodgers over the New York Yankees averaged 2.2 million on Fox.

The MLB.TV streaming package has seen its viewers increase 27%, with more than 7.5 billion minutes watched through Monday.

Games on the NHK channels in Japan are averaging 2.7 million. The average does not include the Tokyo Series games between the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs which began the regular season.

The ratings are on pace for MLB’s most-watched regular season in Japan as the audience has increased every year since 2021.

On MLB.TV, streaming viewership has increased 27% vs 2024, which was the most-watched season in the history of the service. For games through Monday, June 2, MLB.TV has more than 7.5 billion minutes watched this season.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb