White Sox-Guardians opened with 2.1 million on Saturday and 2.9 million on Monday, down 5 and 37 percent respectively from last year’s comparable Cubs-Brewers Game 1 (2.2M) and Dodgers-Phillies Game 2 (4.6M).

Returning to the Wild Card Series, Phillies-Braves Game 3 last Thursday night averaged a 3.2 rating and 6.13 million viewers on NBC — down 14% and 18% respectively from Red Sox-Yankees Game 3 on ESPN in the same window last year (3.7, 7.44M).

Note that nearly half of the Wild Card Series aired on Peacock and NBCSN, figures for which are generally not publicized. That means there are no available figures for either game of the White Sox-Astros or Padres-Cubs series.

Dodgers continue to dominate

The Dodgers began their quest for a third-straight World Series title with a viewership high.

Saturday’s Braves-Dodgers MLB National League Division Series Game 1 averaged a 2.4 rating and 5.37 million viewers on FOX, marking the most-watched LDS Game 1 since Yankees-Red Sox on TBS in 2018 (5.57M) and the highest rated since Guardians-Yankees in 2022.

The Dodgers’ win increased 20% in ratings and a third in viewership from Yankees-Blue Jays in the same window last year (2.0, 4.0M).

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/10/dodgers-braves-game-1-viewership-high-division-series-roundup/

Edited October 8Oct 8 by caulfield12

In other weekend action, the deciding White Sox-Guardians ALDS Game 5 averaged 4.4 million across TNT and truTV — down 20% from Cubs-Brewers in the same window last year (5.5M), but up from Tigers-Guardians Game 5 in an early afternoon window two years ago (3.5M). Last year’s ALDS Game 5, Tigers-Mariners in a Friday night window on FOX, averaged 8.59 million.

The full ALDS on TBS averaged 3.5 million viewers, down 16% from last year’s AL series on Fox Sports (4.15M), and also down from last year’s NLDS on TBS (4.0M). Viewership did increase 17% from the last time TBS carried the AL games two years ago.

sportsmediawatch

Games 3/4 were basically on par with the Cubs and Brewers last season