If Fox Corp. execs were thrilled with the 2024 World Series pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers against the New York Yankees — two of the most storied franchises from the two biggest media markets in the country — they must have been over the moon with this year’s contest.

“We thought last year’s Dodgers-Yankees World Series would be a tough act to follow; Major League Baseball has once again performed well for us. Regular-season ratings were up 3%,” CEO Lachlan Murdoch said during Fox’s first-quarter earnings call last week, ahead of this weekend’s Game 7.

“And as we go into Game 6 of a spectacular World Series, our total postseason advertising revenues will likely surpass last year’s.”

This year’s series was more competitive, as the Toronto Blue Jays pushed the Dodgers to a seven-game contest (the Dodgers had executed a gentlemen’s sweep against the Yankees the previous year, beating them in five games). That is just more advertising time for Fox to sell.

Baseball has also been performing well for Fox in other areas.

Fox has had exclusive broadcast rights to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game since 2001, but this year’s broadcast generated the most revenue ever.

Advertisers paid more for airtime during an All-Star game featuring Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Paul Skenes than they ever did for any summer classics featuring Barry Bonds, Derek Jeter, or Randy Johnson.

“Our sports upfront, as I mentioned, was very strong and remains healthy.It’s a single data point, but we had record revenue for the Major League All-Star game. The demand far outstripped the supply of our spots in that game,” Murdoch said on Fox Corp.’s fourth-quarter earnings call in August.

This week, Nielsen revealed the viewing metrics for the Fall Classic, and it looks like Major League Baseball and Fox were big winners.

The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated a second consecutive World Series win on Nov. 4.

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Dodgers-Blue Jays Game 7 has the highest ratings in nearly a decade

A championship round Game 7 only comes around once in a blue moon, and this year’s World Series provided viewers with an all-timer.

Nearly 26 million people watched the Los Angeles Dodgers squeeze by the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in extra innings on Nov. 3, according to Nielsen ratings data.

Viewership peaked at 31.54 million from 11:30-11:45 p.m. EST.

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The last time the World Series went seven games, the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros 6-2 in 2019. About 23.9 million people watched that game, according to ESPN, so this year’s contest represents a 10% viewership increase.

Houston’s 5-1 victory over the Dodgers in Game 7 in 2017 averaged 28.29 million.

How much do advertisers pay for World Series, NBA Finals commercial spots?

While it was once the king of American sports, for the last 30 years, MLB has been largely relegated to third place in the U.S. sports hierarchy, behind the NFL and NBA.

But MLB’s championship round ratings easily trounced that of its roundball rival.

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The NBA Finals also had a Game 7, featuring two upstart, small-market teams — the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers — but that game only drew 16.4 million viewers on ABC.

Not only did more people watch baseball’s Game 7, but on average, the World Series also outdrew the NBA Finals in viewership.

This would be the second consecutive year the World Series outdrew the NBA Finals, but advertisers still pay much more for NBA Finals TV spots than they do for MLB’s broadcast.

Advertising cost for 30-second spot in championship games

• Advertisers paid Fox between $350,000 and $600,000 for a 30-second 2025 World Series commercial, depending on factors like the type of ad and when it airs, according to Marketplace.org
• While NBA Finals numbers aren’t as up to date, Basketball Insiders reports that ABC was charging about $1.2 million for a 30-second spot during the 2023 NBA Finals.
• The NFL remains the king, charging approximately $8 million per 30-second spot for ads during the Super Bowl.

Related: NFL threatens competition for long-time viewership partner