MLB viewership up 44 percent across national games in 2026, the league's best showing in nearly a decade
MLB viewership up 44 percent across national games in 2026, the league's best showing in nearly a decade
Chris CwikThu, May 7, 2026 at 5:08 PM UTC
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After a few years out of the limelight, baseball is making a comeback. Viewership is up in a major way across the sport, with national games seeing as much as a 44 percent increase in viewers, according to Front Office Sports.
Nationally-televised broadcasts — games aired exclusively on ESPN, Fox, NBC Sports, and Netflix — are reportedly averaging 2.28 million viewers, a staggering increase over last season and MLB’s best mark in viewership since 2017, per FOS.
In addition to overall viewership being up, both Netflix and NBC saw record-breaking figures during their Opening Day broadcasts and FOX has seen a massive upswing — as much as 40 percent — on Saturday coverage.
The news comes at a fantastic time for MLB, which saw the league and ESPN opt out of a previous agreement in favor of a new broadcasting deal. MLB eventually re-upped with ESPN and also signed deals with Netflix and NBC. That’s proved to be a lucrative decision thus far.
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Sports-viewership ratings are generally up across the board, which could be a sign of increased interest in MLB and sports on a more general level. It also could be the result of a new ratings measurement by Neilson, called Big Data + Panel. The new measurement, which was approved in January of 2025, combines data acquired from various cable providers and streaming services and combines it with Nielson's usual panel system — where the company uses a smaller group of individuals to represent a larger group of people.
The NBA, NHL and Kentucky Derby have seen similar viewership spikes in recent weeks, possibly due to that change.
In MLB’s case, however, it’s not just about Neilson’s new method. In-game attendance is reportedly up roughly three percent on the season, per FOS. That figure could increase in the coming weeks, as weather improves in the East and Midwest.
While more viewers should be a good thing, there is potential for a more awkward situation in a few months. With the league’s collective-bargaining agreement (CBA) set to expire in December, many suspect a lockout, followed by a strike, could lead to lost games in 2027. That could spell a disaster scenario for the league. With viewership on the rise, the last thing the league needs is fans turning away from the sport over missed games.
But that’s an issue for down the road. For now, fans seems more interested than they have been in nearly a decade to tune into baseball games. That’s an extremely positive sign for the sport, and maybe some incentive to avoid a work stoppage in 2027.
Source: “AOL Sports”
