World Series ratings for Yankees-Dodgers are big in U.S. and Japan
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani reacts after scoring during the ninth inning in Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees on Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Julio Cortez
The fact the first two games of the World Series were a ratings hit surprised no one, given the two big markets and iconic brands involved. But viewership in the United States only is the start of it.
With Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto playing for the Dodgers, the series also has been closely followed in Japan.
MLB said the first two games of the Yankees-Dodgers series averaged a combined 29.7 million viewers in the United States and Japan. The 15.9 million viewers in Japan for Yamamoto’s start in Game 2 was a record audience for a major league playoff game in that country.
World Series games start just after 9 a.m. in Japan.
Fox said an average of 13.8 million viewers have watched the World Series in the U.S., the most through two games since 2017.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
