Ratings Roundup: MLB Postseason Viewership Highest in 15 Years
“`html
The 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason is the most-watched since 2010 as the American and National League Championship series continue.
Playoff games are averaging 4.33 million viewers, a 30 percent increase on last year, with game five of the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers attracting 8.72 million – the most-watched American League Divisional Series (ALDS) matchup in 14 years.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ elimination of the New York Yankees at the same stage may have reduced some interest in the USS largest media market moving forward, but the league can count on huge demand in Canada.
Average viewership for the two teams’ ALDS series was 7.65 million across both sides of the border on Fox and sportsnet, with Canada accounting for 3.65 million of that audience.
The figures are indicative of a long-term trend, driven by rule changes that have sped up play and made the game more attractive to broadcasters, and also the emergence of a new wave of exciting young players and strong performances from big market teams.
However, it is worth noting that these ratings have been calculated using Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel analysis, which takes into account viewers on streaming services and also the conventional panel – a shift which will almost certainly cause an uplift for most properties this year.
ESPN’s #NHL opening night tripleheader scores big 🚨
🏒 Up 37% YoY
🏒 Pittsburgh Penguins-New York Rangers delivered second-best opening night game on cable (1.09M)
🏒 Chicago Blackhawks-Florida Panthers up 114% vs 2024 opening night early windowhttps://t.co/Jt1Z4DPkBt pic.twitter.com/3PL3W6Lq9V- ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 9, 2025
NHL Opening Night Audiences Up 37 Percent on ESPN
Average audiences for ESPN’s coverage of the opening night of the 2025/26 National Hockey league (NHL) season rose by 37 percent year-on-year to 768,000.
The Disney-owned pay-TV broadcaster aired three games, with the clash between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers attracting 1.09 million viewers,making it the second most-watched opening night fixture since 2023.
Both ESPN and the NHL will be delighted after a 39 percent slump last year. But, again, it is indeed worth noting that these ratings have been calculated using Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel analysis, which takes into account viewers on streaming services as well as the traditional panel – a shift which will almost certainly cause an uplift for most properties this year.