As the Los Angeles Dodgers take a 3-0 series lead on the New York Yankees in the World Series, it is fascinating to see the viewership around the world for everyone taking in all of the thrilling action of the Fall Classic. With records for viewership being broken by the minute, it is thrilling to see how the World Baseball Classic in 2023 compares to the average viewership for this year’s World Series.
Between the first two games of the World Series in the United States and Japan, about 29.7 million fans were locked into all the action. During March 2023, 34.2 million fans tuned into the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The World Series has been a hit in Japan, as the Dodgers feature Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who also represented World Champion Samurai Japan during the World Baseball Classic in 2023. Let alone for Game 2 of the World Series, the game averaged 15.9 million viewers in Japan, setting a postseason record for the country, according to The Athletic. Japan’s estimated population is a little more than 123 million.
Worldwide, the World Baseball Classic brought in an average viewing of 32.81 million fans in 2023. According to Forbes, 42.4 percent of households in Japan watched the World Baseball Classic Final between Japan and the United States, which began around 8 AM on a Wednesday in Japan. It was the most-watched World Baseball Classic event in the United States, averaging 4.5 million viewers.
Younger audiences have also been helping to increase and boost viewership, with social media playing a pivotal factor in keeping fans tuned in to everything happening. Between the age range of 18 and 34, the first two World Series games culminated in a +93 increase in viewership compared to the 2023 World Series.
It will be intriguing to see if Game 4 will break any more records that have already been broken within the past few days of the Fall Classic. As the Dodgers have a chance to wrap up the Fall Classic tonight, it could potentially generate higher viewership in both the United States and Japan than in the first three games.
