Entertainment Rays-Dodgers Opener on Fox Is the Least-Watched World Series Game of All Time

© TheWrap World Series - Tampa Bay Rays v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game One

Updated 1:01 p.m. PT: With 9.195 million total viewers, Game 1 of the 2020 World Series is officially the least-watched World Series game of all time. The Rays vs. Dodgers' Tuesday opener on Fox drew a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49, according to final Nielsen numbers.

The 2.4 rating in the key demo is not a new all-time low for a World Series game. Game 4 of 2019 had a 2.3 rating, for a recent (lower-rated) example.

It is, however, tied for an all-time ratings low among opening games. The last 2.4 rating from a World Series Game 1 came in 1999.

Also read: Ratings: 'The Bachelorette' Can't Catch a Break

Minor leaguers score win in quest for fair wages as Supreme Court dismisses MLB request

Minor league baseball players scored a victory in their effort for higher wages Monday when the Supreme Court denied MLB request to dismiss lawsuit.On the first day of the new judicial session, the country's highest court denied Major League Baseball's request to dismiss a class action lawsuit for fair compensation. The news means Senne v. Royals, the case first filed in 2014 that has expanded to include thousands of ballplayers, will return to trial court after an appeals allowed the suit to move forward as a class action in August 2019.

The Rays will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Atlanta Braves in the World Series in Morton is the first major leaguer to earn the victory in four winner-take-all games , including Game 7 of the 2017 The Dodgers avoided elimination for the second time in less than 24 hours, and now have a

While World Series games usually make for a festive, raucous atmosphere, this year's edition, which is held amidst a deadly pandemic, struck a The Los Angeles Dodgers line up during during the national anthem and a fly over before Game 1 on Tuesday. A limited number of fans begin to make their way

Previously, 8:35 a.m. PT:

Swing and a miss. The Los Angeles Dodgers may have won last night, but we're not so sure broadcast network Fox did.

According to earliest-available Nielsen numbers, the 2020 World Series Game 1 on Fox averaged a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 7.2 million total viewers. While those easily topped Tuesday's primetime, they are down huge from last year's initial figures.

However, due to the nature of live sports, the data in this story should be considered subject to significant adjustment. Final numbers, which will be adjusted for all the west-coast Dodger viewing, will be in later today.

Also read: Why Dodgers-Rays World Series Might Be Latest to Strike Out in TV Ratings

In terms of those final Nielsen numbers, the smallest audience ever for a World Series Game 1 came in 2014, with 12.19 million total viewers. In the same data set we're looking at for this story, what are called "fast-affiliate ratings," that series had a 2.9 rating and 10.7 million viewers.

Dodgers vs. Braves NLCS preview, schedule, predictions: Baseball's top two offenses collide in best-of-seven series

The Dodgers and Braves meet in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series beginning Monday at Glove Life Park in Arlington, Texas.“It is,” he says simply, citing the power arms on the pitching staff, the ability of his hitters to control the strike zone (thank you, Mookie Betts) and a “buy-in” that pays off in manners subtle and significant, be it taking an extra base or shifting positions selflessly.

Over the seven games , the World Series averaged 13.91 million viewers, which would place it as the third- least viewed, ahead of only 2012 and 2008. Fox was looking at an all - time low for this year’s series ; the first six games averaged 12.39 million viewers. It already set the record low for Game 2

A World Series like no other opens Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas with masked umpires, muted 'I don't know if you watched Game 7 last night but it sure felt like postseason to me,' Dodgers third This will be the first World Series entirely at one ballpark since 1944 between the Cardinals and

So yeah, we're not even close here. But as New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra famously said: It ain't over till the fat lady sings. (She'll be singing in a few hours when final figures come in.)

The smallest (final) audience for a World Series game ever came from 2008's Game 3, which averaged 9.836 million total viewers. Last night's loser, the Tampa Bay Rays, was also in that series. And because we know you're wondering, that game's fast-affiliate numbers were a 2.9 rating and 10.1 million viewers. It aired on a Saturday night and was delayed by rain for more than 90 minutes and didn't start until almost 10 p.m. ET.

Also read: Ratings: 'The Voice' Premiere Is the Top Entertainment Telecast of the Season, but Down 29% From 2019's Start

As we've written about many times, sports across the board are suffering from massive TV viewing erosion, whether it be the jam-packed sports lineup (both the NHL and NBA playoffs were pushed to the fall because of the virus) or the unrelenting news cycle about the pandemic or the election.

The least-viewed World Series came in 2012 when the San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers, which was viewed by an average of 12.64 million viewers. That already feels out of reach for Fox.