Major League Baseball (MLB) reported a total attendance of 71,409,421 for the 2025 regular season, marking its third consecutive year of growth and ranking as the 16th highest in league history (behind the 2007 record of 79,484,718). The Los Angeles Dodgers made history as the first team since the 2008 New York Yankees and Mets to surpass 4 million in attendance, while the San Diego Padres set a franchise record with 3.4 million fans. The New York Mets drew 3.2 million despite a late-season collapse that ended with a final-day loss, missing the playoffs.
The league attributed the attendance surge to faster game times and an expanded postseason format. The average game time was 2 hours and 38 minutes, the third straight season under 2:40, a feat last achieved from 1983–85, largely due to rules like the pitch clock introduced in 2023.
Television Viewership Soars MLB’s TV ratings also saw significant gains. Key figures include:
- ESPN: In its final year airing Sunday Night Baseball after 35 seasons, ESPN averaged 1.8 million viewers for MLB regular-season coverage, a 21% increase from 2024.
- Fox: Broadcast games averaged 2.04 million viewers (up 9%), while FS1 cable games drew 324,000 viewers (up 10%).
- TNT Sports: The Warner Bros. Discovery outlet, soon transitioning to Discovery Global, averaged 462,000 viewers for non-exclusive games, up 29%.
- MLB Network: The league’s own channel saw 261,000 viewers for out-of-market Showcase games, a 13% rise.
These TV gains align with MLB’s first three-year streak of attendance growth since 2005–07. The league is also finalizing restructured media rights deals for 2026–28, following ESPN’s exit from certain rights.
Commissioner Rob Manfred announced preliminary agreements with ESPN (emphasizing local broadcasting and MLB.TV), NBC (including Sunday night games and wild-card playoffs), and Netflix (featuring the Home Run Derby).
Additional highlights include a 34% surge in MLB.TV consumption, reaching a record 19.39 billion minutes. Average game times rose slightly to 2 hours and 38 minutes but remain shorter than pre-2023 levels due to rules like the pitch clock.
Playoff Highlights
The postseason kicks off Tuesday with a thrilling American League wild-card series between the Cleveland Guardians, who overtook the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central during the final week, and the Tigers in a best-of-three matchup in Cleveland. In the AL, the Boston Red Sox face the host New York Yankees. In the National League, the defending champion Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds in their first wild-card appearance since 2021, while the Chicago Cubs, back in the playoffs for the first time in five years, take on the visiting San Diego Padres.