ESPN sets viewership records with massive spike in young watchers during Wild Card Series

By Canadian Press on October 6, 2025.

ESPN set viewership records during baseball’s Wild Card Series, fueled by a significant spike in watchers from young demographics.

The network announced Monday that Game 3 of the Boston-New York Yankees series averaged 7,439,000 viewers — a single-game Wild Card Series record under the current format. It was the largest audience for an ESPN baseball game since Boston met the Yankees in a one-game MLB Wild Card playoff in 2021.

The network averaged 4,625,000 viewers for the 11 games, a new high for the current format. Overall viewership for the under-35 demographic jumped 89% from last year and 108% for kids 17 and under. Total viewership for the Wild Card Series was up 64% from last year.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The Associated Press