MLB Wild Card viewership slips thanks in part to four sweeps

There was not much tension during MLB’s Wild Card round of the Postseason, and viewership for the eight games slipped across ESPN’s networks.

The eight-game slate, which saw each series end in a two-game sweep, averaged 2.25 million viewers over ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. That’s down from last year’s nine-game round, which averaged 2.798 million viewers.

Last year, the Wild Card round took place on Friday and Saturday, with a win-or-go-home game between the Mets and Padres airing on Sunday night. Despite going head-to-head with Sunday Night Football on NBC, that final game averaged a round-high 3.961 million viewers.

There was no single series that dragged the average down, with all failing to deliver strong viewership. Each game increased from Game 1 to Game 2.

• Phillies vs Marlins (ESPN): 3.12 million (Game 1: 2.99 million; Game 2: 3.24 million)
• Rays vs Rangers (ABC): 2.20 million (Game 1: 2.18 million; Game 2: 2.22 million)
• Brewers vs Diamondbacks (ESPN2): 1.91 million (Game 1: 1.86 million; Game 2: 1.95 million)
• Twins vs Blue Jays (ESPN): 1.86 million (Game 1: 1.68 million; Game 2: 2.03 million)

I don’t think this is some sort of damning indictment of MLB, the Wild Card round, or ESPN’s production, but rather the result of four straight sweeps and some less-than-stellar national draws. Swapping out the Mets, Padres, and Cardinals in the National League for the Marlins, Diamondbacks, and Brewers is a net loss for viewership, and the two NL matchups were significantly down from last year. Mets-Padres, which went to three games, averaged 3.683 million viewers and Phillies-Cardinals averaged 2.820 million viewers. Getting a third game in at least one series wouldn’t have dragged the average up to last year’s mark, but it at least would have made the comparison a bit closer.

Viewership data for the MLB Division Series round, which began with four games on Saturday, is not yet available. In 2022, viewership for the Division Series hit a multi-year high for MLB, averaging 3.446 million viewers across the 13 games in the round.

[Data via Sports Media Watch]