High Ratings

The 2016 World Series is setting records for TV viewership.

The broadcast of Game Five on Sunday night was one of the highest-rated broadcasts for the World Series in years. Since Boston ended their 86-year championship drought back in 2004, only one game has drawn more than the 23.6 million viewers Cleveland and Chicago netted on Sunday night: Game Seven of the 2011 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. If you remove clinching games, it was one of the most viewed games of the century.

Teams that have not won in a very long time appear to draw in a large audience. One other factor at play here is the former Superstation status of WGN. During the 1980s, the Cubs, Braves, and to a lesser degree, the Yankees played on local stations with a national audience. Since the Cubs were still playing day games at home, fans could watch the Cubs in the afternoon and their home team in the evening during the week. This built a large audience for the team outside Chicago. The Cubs may not be the number one team of these fans, but they still occupy a place in their hearts. I suspect that’s reflected in these ratings.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2fffKLu