Game 7 of the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays drew 51 million viewers across the United States, Canada, and Japan, marking the most-watched MLB game in 34 years. The Dodgers secured back-to-back championships by narrowly defeating the Blue Jays in an 11-inning thriller. The entire series averaged 34 million viewers, a 19% increase from the previous year and the largest global audience since 1992.
The 2025 World Series presented by Capital One showcased Major League Baseball's enduring appeal, with viewership numbers that surpassed recent benchmarks. The Los Angeles Dodgers, holding the highest payroll in baseball, claimed their second consecutive title since 2000, overcoming the Toronto Blue Jays, who returned to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1993.
Game 7, an intense 11-inning contest, averaged 51.0 million viewers combined from the U.S., Canada, and Japan, exceeding any MLB game since Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. This figure doubled the U.S. viewership of the NBA Finals Game 7 from the same year. The series overall registered 34.0 million average viewers across these regions, the most since 1992 and up 19% from 2024.
In the U.S., the seven-game average reached 16.1 million viewers on networks including FOX, FOX Deportes, and Univision, the highest since 2017. Viewership among fans 17 and under rose 11%, the best for that demographic since 2017. MLB Network programs like MLB Central saw a 36% increase over 2024.
Canada, as the home market for the Blue Jays, contributed significantly, with Game 7 averaging 11.6 million viewers on Sportsnet and TVA Sports—the most-watched English-language broadcast outside the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The series averaged 8.1 million in Canada. In Japan, Game 6 drew 13.1 million on NHK-G, a single-network record, while Game 7 had 12.0 million on NHK-BS; the average was 9.7 million.
The U.S. and Canada combined for 24.3 million average viewers, the largest since 2016 and a 46% jump from last year. International viewership from Canada and Japan totaled 17.9 million on average, setting a Fall Classic record. The series aired in 203 countries via 44 partners in 16 languages, featuring 13 internationally born players from eight nations.
These figures counter arguments that MLB's lack of a salary cap—amid the Dodgers' top spending and the Blue Jays' fifth-highest payroll—deters fans. Instead, they highlight the sport's global draw and financial success in a crowded media landscape.