Ratings for small-market Brewers-Rays World Series down only 6% through 2 games

For those fearing record-low ratings for the World Series, the matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays is exceeding expectations.

The audiences for the first two games on Fox Sports were down only 6% compared to Games 1 and 2 from last year's Fall Classic between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

“I think they’ve probably surpassed everybody’s expectations. I think very few people, including me, would’ve guessed that we’d be down 6% through two games. We’re really satisfied,” said Mike Mulvihill, Fox Sports president for insight and analytics

Milwaukee's 3-2 win in Game 1 last Friday averaged 12.26 million viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes, Fox One streaming, the Fox Sports app and Univision. The Brewers' 5-4 victory in Game 2, which did not include Univision coverage, averaged 10.85 million.

Both games were the most-watched broadcast of the night.

With two small-market teams vying for the championship, there were many predictions the early ratings could rival the 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, which was the least-watched on record with a 9.11 million average. Game 2 of that series set the record low at 8.15 million.

The difference this year, though, is that Milwaukee has a steady base of fans in the Midwest and has been a consistent contender the last couple of seasons. This is also a matchup of the two teams with the best records in baseball this season.

“I do think there’s something helpful about having a traditional team from the Midwest in the series. And the fact that they were able to take down the two-time defending champs (the Dodgers) and do it in really convincing fashion, I think that helps build some interest for the World Series,” Mulvihill said.

The Fox-only average for the first two games this year is 11.05 million.

Fox could be holding its breath for the ratings from Monday's Game 3. Not only was it a 10-1 blowout win for Milwaukee, it faced stiff competition with the Dallas Cowboys playing the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football.”