World Series Ratings Soaring Despite Web Streaming

Nothing unites baseball fans quite like the World Series — and as it happens, the televised matchup between the Yankees and the Phillies is giving Fox a giant leap in the ratings.

How big? Well, the numbers rival that of a results show on “Dancing With The Stars,” with 22. 8 million viewers tuning in to watch the Yankees beat the Phillies on Sunday night, marking a 47% jump from 2008’s Game Four ratings.

Indeed, “it was the biggest audience for a series game in five years,” reports The Wrap’s Josef Adalian.

No offense to A-Rod and the gang, but Fox doesn’t want you to win Monday’s game. Says Adalian:

With the Yanks now up 3-1, Fox isn’t completely out of the woods yet. The network really needs the Phillies to step up and win Game Five in order to extend the Series to at least six games. That’s usually been considered the benchmark number of games Fox needs to turn a profit on the Fall Classic.

While Fox prays for a Phillies victory, consider this: The network pulled in record viewers DESPITE streaming the games on the Web along with Major League Baseball Advanced Media.

So more streaming doesn’t mean lower ratings, just as movie piracy does not necessarily translate to Hollywood’s financial demise. Superfans of every kind make sure they have every outlet available to them to watch the game whether it be TV, the Web, or nosebleed seats at Yankee Stadium. – Silicon Alley Insider