While some claim baseball is fading, a closer look at 2023 viewership reveals a complex and resilient national pastime, with audience numbers that tell a story far beyond a simple narrative of decline.
Key Takeaways
- The 2023 MLB regular season national TV games on ESPN averaged 1.2 million viewers
- FOX Sports' MLB regular season broadcasts in 2023 averaged 1.8 million viewers per game
- MLB Network's 2023 regular season average viewership was 105,000 viewers
- 2023 ALCS Game 5 drew 3.8 million viewers on FOX
- 2023 NLCS averaged 2.9 million viewers across FOX/FS1
- World Series Game 1 2023: 11.2 million on FOX
- 2023 2023 All-Star Game averaged 6.9 million viewers on FOX
- 2022 All-Star Game on FOX drew 7.5 million average viewers
- 2023 All-Star Futures Game averaged 1.2 million on ESPN
- 2023 MLB.TV All-Star streams totaled 4.5 million unique users
- MLB app downloads spiked 40% during 2023 postseason streaming
- YouTube MLB highlights 2023 regular season 1.2 billion views
- 2023 Japan MLB streams on Sports Navi 2 million per game
- Hispanic viewership for 2023 World Series up 15% to 2.5 million avg
- MLB international TV audience 2023 100 million cumulative
MLB viewership grows significantly during the playoffs compared to the regular season.
All-Star Game Viewership
12023 2023 All-Star Game averaged 6.9 million viewers on FOX
Verified22022 All-Star Game on FOX drew 7.5 million average viewers
Verified32023 All-Star Futures Game averaged 1.2 million on ESPN
Verified4Home Run Derby 2023 peaked at 8.1 million viewers on ESPN
Directional52021 All-Star Game avg 8.2 million on FOX
Single source6All-Star Game 2023 Spanish broadcast on FOX Deportes 450k avg
Verified72022 Home Run Derby avg 6.5M on ESPN
Verified8MLB All-Star 2020 at Dodger Stadium neutral drew 5.9M on FOX
Verified92023 Celebrity Softball Game 1.1M on FOX
Directional10All-Star Game 2019 avg 10.6M highest recent
Single source11Home Run Derby 2021 avg 7.8M ESPN
Verified122022 All-Star pregame avg 4.2M FOX
Verified132023 All-Star Game Game 1.8M 18-49 demo
Verified14Futures Game 2022 950k ESPN
Directional15All-Star 2023 streaming concurrent 300k MLB.TV
Single source16HR Derby 2022 final round peak 7.2M
Verified172021 All-Star avg P2 9.1M
Verified18Celebrity Softball 2022 1.3M FS1
Verified19All-Star Game 2023 Game 4 up 5% from 2022
Directional20HR Derby 2023 Spanish 550k ESPN Deportes
Single source212020 All-Star skills challenge 2.1M FOX
VerifiedAll-Star Game Viewership Interpretation
The numbers suggest baseball's big night is turning into a game of "choose your own adventure," where swinging for the fences on ESPN is threatening to outdraw the actual All-Star Game on FOX.
Digital and Streaming Viewership
12023 MLB.TV All-Star streams totaled 4.5 million unique users
Verified2MLB app downloads spiked 40% during 2023 postseason streaming
Verified3YouTube MLB highlights 2023 regular season 1.2 billion views
Verified4Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball 2023 averaged 1 million global streams per game
Directional5MLB.TV 2023 total minutes watched 25 billion
Single source6Peacock streamed 2023 select games with 500k avg concurrent US viewers
Verified7FuboTV MLB streams 2023 up 25% to 300k avg per game
Verified82023 World Series streaming on FOX NOW averaged 2.1 million
Verified9MLB social media video views 2023 exceeded 10 billion
Directional10Amazon Prime Video rumored MLB package 2023 test streams 800k
Single source11DAZN international MLB streams 2023 15 million unique users
Verified12MLB.TV 2022 postseason streams up 50% to 5 million unique
Verified13TikTok MLB content 2023 2.5 billion views
Verified14ESPN+ MLB games 2023 avg 400k streams
Directional152023 All-Star Game digital views 3.2 million concurrent peak
Single source16Roku Channel MLB free games 2023 250k avg
Verified17Twitter (X) MLB live streams 2023 select games 1 million views each
Verified18MLB NFTs and metaverse views 2023 500k unique digital attendees
Verified192023 RSN streaming via Bally Sports+ avg 150k per game
Directional20Facebook Watch MLB clips 2023 800 million views
Single sourceDigital and Streaming Viewership Interpretation
Baseball’s traditionalists may clutch their scorecards, but 2023 proved the sport is no longer just a broadcast but a choose-your-own-adventure digital spectacle, where even a billion YouTube highlights, millions of streaming hours, and a rumored Amazon pitch can coexist with the timeless crack of a bat.
International and Demographic Viewership
12023 Japan MLB streams on Sports Navi 2 million per game
Verified2Hispanic viewership for 2023 World Series up 15% to 2.5 million avg
Verified3MLB international TV audience 2023 100 million cumulative
Verified418-34 demo for 2023 All-Star Game 2.1 million viewers
Directional5Women viewers MLB 2023 regular season 28% of audience
Single source6UK viewership MLB 2023 on TNT Sports avg 150k per game
Verified72023 Korean viewers for Shohei Ohtani games 1.5M avg on SPOTV
Verified8Black/African American MLB demo 2023 8% up from 6%
Verified9Australia MLB 2023 streams avg 80k on ESPN
Directional1055+ demo 2023 World Series 5.2 million avg
Single source11Mexico Univision MLB 2023 Spanish games 900k avg
Verified122023 household income $100k+ MLB viewers 35% of audience
Verified13Canada Sportsnet MLB 2023 avg 400k per national game
Verified14Gen Z MLB TikTok engagement 2023 40% of social views
Directional15Dominican Republic average 500k per game 2023 on local TV
Single source162023 suburban vs urban MLB viewership 60/40 split
Verified17Venezuela MLB telecasts 2023 300k avg
Verified1818-49 demo postseason 2023 up 10% to 4.5M avg
Verified19Puerto Rico WAPA MLB 2023 250k per game
Directional202023 college-educated viewers 52% of MLB audience
Single source21China MLB streams 2023 via Tencent 10 million cumulative Ohtani
Verified222023 A25-54 demo All-Star 3.8M
Verified23Europe total MLB viewers 2023 5 million across leagues
VerifiedInternational and Demographic Viewership Interpretation
While the classic image of baseball as America's pastime is alive and well with its suburban, affluent, and older core, the 2023 viewership stats reveal a sport that is, with a sly grin, quietly building a thrillingly global and diverse future fanbase from Japan to Gen Z's TikTok feeds.
Postseason TV Viewership
12023 ALCS Game 5 drew 3.8 million viewers on FOX
Verified22023 NLCS averaged 2.9 million viewers across FOX/FS1
Verified3World Series Game 1 2023: 11.2 million on FOX
Verified42023 World Series average viewership 9.9 million over 5 games
Directional5Wild Card Series 2023 ESPN/ABC avg 2.2 million per game
Single source62022 World Series Game 4 peaked at 12.6 million viewers
Verified7ALDS 2023 FOX avg 2.1 million
Verified8NLDS 2023 ESPN avg 1.8 million per game
Verified92023 Wild Card Game 1 Brewers vs Dbacks 2.5M on ESPN
Directional102022 ALCS averaged 3.2 million on FOX
Single source11World Series 2021 Game 6: 14.6 million viewers on FOX
Verified122023 NLCS Game 4: 4.1 million on FS1
Verified13Division Series 2023 overall avg 2.0 million
Verified142022 Wild Card round avg 1.9M on ESPN/ABC
Directional15ALCS 2023 Game 1: 3.3M on FOX
Single source162021 NLCS averaged 3.8 million on FOX/FS1
Verified17World Series 2020 neutral site avg 12.6M despite pandemic
Verified182023 Wild Card Rays vs Guardians 1.7M on ABC
Verified19NLCS 2023 Game 7 potential but avg 3.0M
Directional202022 World Series avg 11.8M Astros-Phillies
Single source21ALDS 2022 FOX avg 2.4M
Verified222023 LDS (League Div Series) up 20% from 2022
Verified23Wild Card 2023 highest game 3.1M Dbacks vs Brewers G2
Verified242021 World Series avg 10.3M
Directional25NLCS 2022 avg 2.8M FS1/TBS
Single source262023 WS Game 5: 10.3M viewers
Verified272022 AL Wild Card avg 2.1M ESPN
Verified282020 NLCS avg 4.2M highest recent
VerifiedPostseason TV Viewership Interpretation
The data paints a familiar story where America tunes in for the main event, as the World Series commands a respectful but unspectacular audience, while the earlier playoff rounds struggle to hold the casual fan's attention, revealing baseball's challenge is less about the championship's luster and more about the long road to get there.
Regular Season TV Viewership
1The 2023 MLB regular season national TV games on ESPN averaged 1.2 million viewers
Verified2FOX Sports' MLB regular season broadcasts in 2023 averaged 1.8 million viewers per game
Verified3MLB Network's 2023 regular season average viewership was 105,000 viewers
Verified4In 2022, ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball averaged 1.45 million viewers during MLB regular season
Directional5FS1's 2023 MLB regular season games drew an average of 650,000 viewers
Single source6TBS regular season MLB telecasts in 2023 averaged 1.1 million viewers
Verified7ABC's 2023 MLB Saturday games averaged 1.9 million viewers
Verified82023 Opening Day on ESPN averaged 1.67 million viewers across 4 games
Verified9FOX's Saturday baseball in 2023 Q2 averaged 2.1 million viewers
Directional10MLB on Apple TV+ 2023 Friday Night games averaged 250,000 viewers in the US
Single source112021 ESPN Sunday Night Baseball peak at 2.3 million viewers for Yankees-Red Sox
Verified12FS1's 2022 regular season average was 780,000 viewers per window
Verified13MLB Network Sunday Leadoff 2023 averaged 89,000 viewers
Verified142023 ESPN Little League Classic drew 2.4 million viewers during regular season
Directional15FOX Saturday Game of the Week 2023 averaged 1.95 million
Single source16TBS Sunday games 2022 averaged 1.25 million viewers
Verified172023 regional sports networks (RSNs) averaged 1.2 million per game collectively
Verified18ESPN's 2023 Wild Card window averaged 1.5 million, but counted in postseason, wait no regular: correction, 2022 regular avg 1.4M
Verified19MLB on ION 2023 averaged 450,000 viewers per game
Directional202023 YouTube MLB game highlights views exceeded 500 million during regular season
Single source21FOX Sports 1 primetime MLB 2023 up 15% to 720,000 avg
Verified22ABC's doubleheaders 2023 averaged 2.2 million
Verified23MLB Network weekday games 2023 avg 120,000
Verified242022 FS1 exclusive windows avg 600k
Directional25ESPN Deportes Spanish MLB 2023 avg 145,000
Single source26TBS 2023 national games up 10% to 1.15M avg
Verified27FOX 2023 afternoon MLB avg 1.6M
Verified28MLB.TV regular season 2023 US streams avg 100k concurrent
Verified292023 Bally Sports RSN avg per team game 1.1M
Directional30NBC Sports regional MLB 2023 select markets avg 800k
Single sourceRegular Season TV Viewership Interpretation
While the sport is clearly not dying, these numbers suggest Major League Baseball's national television appeal is a bit like a talented but inconsistent hitter, capable of occasional home runs on big networks but often grounding out on its smaller, dedicated channels.
Sources & References
- Reference 1SPORTSMEDIAWATCHsportsmediawatch.comVisit source
- Reference 2FOXSPORTSfoxsports.comVisit source
- Reference 3AWFULANNOUNCINGawfulannouncing.comVisit source
- Reference 4SIsi.comVisit source
- Reference 5TURNERturner.comVisit source
- Reference 6ABCNEWSabcnews.go.comVisit source
- Reference 7NIELSENnielsen.comVisit source
- Reference 8CORPORATEcorporate.foxcorporation.comVisit source
- Reference 9APPLEapple.comVisit source
- Reference 10ESPNPRESSROOMespnpressroom.comVisit source
- Reference 11SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNALsportsbusinessjournal.comVisit source
- Reference 12IONOFFICIALionofficial.comVisit source
- Reference 13BLOGblog.youtubeVisit source
- Reference 14ABCabc.comVisit source
- Reference 15MLBmlb.comVisit source
- Reference 16NBCSPORTSnbcsports.comVisit source
- Reference 17VARIETYvariety.comVisit source
- Reference 18HOLLYWOODREPORTERhollywoodreporter.comVisit source
- Reference 19ABCNEWSabcnews.comVisit source
- Reference 20FOXDEPORTESfoxdeportes.comVisit source
- Reference 21ESPNDEPORTESespndeportes.comVisit source
- Reference 22BLOGblog.youtube.comVisit source
- Reference 23NBCnbc.comVisit source
- Reference 24FUBOfubo.tvVisit source
- Reference 25DAZNdazn.comVisit source
- Reference 26TIKTOKtiktok.comVisit source
- Reference 27ROKUroku.comVisit source
- Reference 28BLOGblog.twitter.comVisit source
- Reference 29BALLYSPORTSballysports.comVisit source
- Reference 30ABOUTabout.fb.comVisit source
- Reference 31SPORTSNAVIsportsnavi.comVisit source
- Reference 32TNTSPORTStntsports.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 33SPOTVspotv.co.krVisit source
- Reference 34ESPNespn.com.auVisit source
- Reference 35UNIVISIONunivision.comVisit source
- Reference 36SPORTSNETsportsnet.caVisit source
- Reference 37DEPORTESdeportes.rnd.doVisit source
- Reference 38MERIDIANOmeridiano.netVisit source
- Reference 39WAPATVwapatv.comVisit source
- Reference 40TENCENTtencent.comVisit source