The Los Angeles Dodgers denied the New York Yankees a Game 6 as they clinched the World Series on Wednesday night, but in doing so FOX lost out on a potential $150 million.
A blockbuster World Series matchup ended up being extremely one-sided, as the Yankees were on the verge of being swept before picking up a consolation win. It looked like the series would head to Game 6 as the Yankees took a 5-0 lead on Wednesday, but a stunning comeback saw the Dodgers celebrate prematurely as they won 7-6 on the night.
While no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win the World Series, the Yankees attempted to make things interesting. Extending the series would have also guaranteed at least $50 million for FOX, and more than double that figure if Game 7 had been required.
According to media buyers, the average cost for a 30-second commercial in this year’s World Series cost between $465,000 and $520,000. This price was fixed for the first five games of the World Series, with rates set to increase for the final two games.
FOX was earning approximately $44.3 million in ad sales revenue per broadcast, but that figure was projected to rise for Games 6 and 7. A 50 percent increase in ad prices was billed ahead of the final two games, but due to the Dodgers winning 4-1, the series was over before that could come into play.
The World Series action saw FOX crush its competitors throughout October, with Game 3 outperforming ESPN’s ratings for “Monday Night Football” between the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers. Game 3, which saw the Dodgers beat the Yankees 4-2, averaged 13.64 million viewers on FOX.
Across ABC, ESPN, and affiliate streaming platforms, 13.4 million people tuned in to see the Steelers beat the Giants 26-18. It was only the fourth time that a World Series game went head-to-head with a “Monday Night Football” broadcast.
It marked FOXs most-viewed prime-time telecast on a Monday since Game 5 of the 2013 Series between Boston and St. Louis, which saw 14.45 million tune in. However, when taking into account worldwide views, it was undoubtedly one of the most-watched World Series games in history.
According to MLB, each World Series game averaged over 15 million viewers in Japan with the Dodgers housing two star players from the nation. Interest in the Dodgers peaked in Japan when they signed Shohei Ohtani last offseason, and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was also in action.
The Dodgers signed Ohtani to win the World Series and managed to clinch a championship in his first season. Teammate Freddie Freeman revealed that Ohtani is already looking forward to the second season of his 10-year deal, and told The Athletic: “In his first year, he won a championship. He’s like, ‘This is easy. We’re just gonna do it again nine more times.'”
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