TV ratings for the MLB playoffs have already increased significantly

We’re almost through the wild card round of the Major League Baseball playoffs and television ratings are already well above previous seasons. And there are many more intriguing matchups and potential matchups to come.

Through Wednesday, wild card round games on ESPN/ABC are averaging 2.62 million viewers, up 16 percent from the same period in the 2023 postseason. Game two between the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers was the most-watched MLB game of the season so far with 3.70 million viewers. This was also the second-highest rating for a wild card round playoff game since the new format was introduced in 2022.

Impressively, the first game between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres on Tuesday night against the vice presidential debate still drew 2.9 million viewers, comparable to last year’s matchups.

The changes in baseball may have angered baseball purists, but they are paying off dividends among casual fans.

SAN DIEGO – Joe Musgrove of the San Diego Padres adjusts his hat against the Atlanta Braves during the fourth inning in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series at Petco Park on Oct. 2, 2024. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

MLB’s postseason ratings could rise even further in future rounds

The Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers are small market teams still in the playoffs and awaiting the outcome of the Brewers’ Game 3 against the Mets. But the sport’s two most popular teams, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, have yet to start their first postseason series.

Mets-Phillies would be a highly watched matchup between two big market teams. Dodgers-Padres has the intensity of a division rivalry and star power with Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., Mookie Betts and Manny Machado.

And there’s even the possibility of a back-to-back New York-LA series. MLB could benefit from a Mets-Dodgers series and the Holy Grail of television ratings in the Dodgers-Yankees World Series.

Or they could get Tigers-Brewers.

Regardless, league changes to increase the pace of play and shorten game times are clearly having an impact. Viewership went up, regular season ratings went up, and now postseason ratings are up significantly. After years of apparent decline, baseball is finally moving in the right direction.