ESPN Sets Multiple MLB Wild Card Series Viewership Records
· Audience Across 11 Games Up 64 Percent from Last Year; Significant Youth Demo Viewership Increases
· Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees Game 3 Generated Largest ESPN MLB Audience Since 2021: 7,439,000 Viewers
ESPN's exclusive coverage of the 2025 Major League Baseball Wild Card Series set multiple viewership records according to Nielsen's Big Data + Panel. ESPN networks averaged 4,625,000 viewers across 11 games, making it the most-watched Wild Card Series ever under the current format. The series was up 64 percent from last year.
Game 3 of the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees series averaged 7,439,000 viewers, making it the most-watched game of the Wild Card Series under the current format. It was the largest audience for an ESPN MLB game since 2021 when the Red Sox and Yankees squared off in a one-game MLB Wild Card Game under the prior format. Game 3 of the Red Sox vs. Yankees series peaked with 8,375,000 viewers in the 8 p.m. ET quarter hour on Thursday, October 2.
ESPN's coverage of the Wild Card Series also generated significant audience increases in youth demos. Among viewers under 35 years old, Wild Card viewership was up 89 percent year over year. Additionally, this year's event drew a 108 percent viewership increase among kids 17 and under.
ESPN's coverage of the 2025 Major League Baseball Postseason continues with every pitch through the World Series on ESPN Radio.
-30-
|