Delay reaction

A World Series push deeper into fall hurts TV ratings | Mark Bergin

MLB Photos via Getty Images

Since 1973, the year television ratings began recording the number of viewers watching the World Series, baseball's biggest stage has consistently dropped in TV popularity. Six times the championship series has dipped below 20 million viewers per game, each of those instances coming in this decade, including the past four consecutive years. Last year, viewership hit an all-time low of 13.6 million per game due in large part to rain delays and the inclusion of the small-market Tampa Bay Rays.

This year's matchup between the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees has prompted a ratings upswing. But if league officials hope to stop the overarching trend of dwindling TV audiences, it will take more than hoping for popular pennant winners. They'll need to stop playing ball in November.

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November 21, 2009, Vol. 24, No. 23

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