With the Royals on the verge of clinching their first World Series championship in 30 years, it’s no surprise that Kansas City was heavily tuned into the Fox broadcast of Game 5 Sunday night. But it’s still astounding to see the actual numbers, reflecting just how much of the market was watching the Royals play the Mets.
In Kansas City, World Series Game 5 drew a 60.0/80 overnight rating. You probably already know what those numbers mean, but for those who don’t (and I can always use the refresher), 60 percent of all homes with a television in the K.C. market were tuned in to Fox’s telecast. And of those households that were turned on during Game 5, 80 percent of them were watching the Royals’ 12-inning victory over the Mets.
Those numbers are bonkers. Three of every 5 TV sets in KC, and four of five actually turned on, were tuned into WS game.
— Eric Fisher (@EricFisherSBJ) November 2, 2015
That local rating in Kansas City is the largest overnight rating in a single market since Phoenix drew a 62.3/80 for Game 7 of the 2001 World Series between the Diamondbacks and Yankees. In New York, by the way, Game 5 scored a 25.5/40 Sunday night.
Nationally, Fox’s Game 5 broadcast earned a 11.7/19 overnight household rating and share. That’s a 43 percent increase from Game 5 between the Royals and Giants one year, which drew an 8.2/13 overnight rating/share. That’s the best overnight for a World Series Game 5 telecast since 2009 when the Yankees-Phillies series scored a 12.8/20 overnight.
Overall, the five games of the 2015 World Series drew a 10.1/17 overnight, a 26 percent increase from the first five games of last year’s Fall Classic and an 11 percent boost from 2014’s entire seven-game series. That’s the best five-game average for a World Series in 2009.
Just think about what those numbers could have been had the series gone to six or seven games, which always draws a higher rating as more viewers tune in for a more competitive series and a more contested outcome. More sets in the New York market and throughout the country would have watched. Regardless, Fox is surely happy with those numbers and grateful Kansas City loves its Royals so much.
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About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.