False Reports of 2026 World Series Viewership Cause Uproar

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays kicked off the 2026 World Series on Friday, with each team vying for their first title.

With two smaller market teams partaking in the World Series, though, outlets across the country predicted low viewership for the Fall Classic despite the monumental occasion for both teams.

Following Game 1, fans of either team took to social media to show off the viewership numbers from the first game.

“Well well well,” X user @ChzOnEverything wrote, with a screenshot of an AI-provided answer on the viewership which showed 15.2 million people watched Game 1.

“I thought people didn’t care about the small market Brewers and Rays? I was told the ratings would be bad!”

X user @BigRonInJersey posted similarly, including a screenshot saying an average of 15.2 million people tuned into Game 1.

“Highest World Series game 1 ratings since 2017!!!” they wrote.

“Low ratings my f—ing a—!!!”

While the figures they provided backed up their argument, they failed to account for the real viewership numbers, which Nielsen Media Research, the company who releases the data, won’t reveal until Tuesday at the earliest.

Where Did the 15.2 Million Figure Come From?

A recent World Series Game 1 garnered 15.2 million viewers, but it wasn’t Friday’s contest between the Rays and Brewers. That figure belongs to Game 1 of 2024’s World Series between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

“The Los Angeles Dodgers bested the New York Yankees in Game 1 to an audience of 15.2M viewers on Friday night, giving the network a significant boost over its average primetime audience,” Deadline’s Katie Campione wrote on Oct. 26, 2024. “It was up 62% versus the 2023 World Series Game 1, when 9.4M viewers watched the Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Texas Rangers.

“In fact, it was the most-watched World Series Game 1 since 2017, when the Dodgers played the Houston Astros with 15.3M tuned in. That Series would end up averaging nearly 19M viewers.”

The figure fans are using to push their agendas on social media belongs to the Dodgers, only further proving the point that LA’s team drives baseball viewership. Perhaps these fans will be able to take their victory laps when the official numbers come out, but until then, they should check their sources.