Drama not enough to save MLB All-Star Game from ratings dip

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The first “swing-off” in Major League Baseball All-Star Game history wasn’t enough to save the Midsummer Classic from a 3 percent ratings drop.

Tuesday night’s game averaged a 3.8 rating and drew 7.19 million viewers on Fox, according to Nielsen, down from 7.44 million last year and the second-fewest on record for the event. It was 3 percent better than the record low of 7 million who tuned into the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.

MLB’s All-Star event still draws far better than its counterparts, with this year’s NBA All-Star Game and the NFL’s Pro Bowl Games each averaging 4.7 million viewers. Monday night’s Home Run Derby drew 5.73 million viewers on ESPN.

The All-Star Game itself peaked with 8.1 million viewers in the 9:15 p.m. ET quarter-hour, per SportsMediaWatch.com, making it the most-watched program on Fox since the Super Bowl. It also featured the first “swing-off” to determine the All-Star Game winner.

Each player got three swings. Rooker launched two over the fence, while Stowers went 1-for-3. Arozarena then hit one, before Kyle Schwarber sent all three out to give the NL a 4-3 running lead entering the final round. Aranda then went 0-for-3, clinching the bizarre National League victory — technically a 7-6 win — the league’s second All-Star Game triumph in three years after dropping the previous nine.

A rule change in 2022 provided what was left of the 41,702 fans with a spectacle they likely weren’t expecting when they entered Truist Park in Atlanta.

“It was interesting,” Schwarber said after being named the Phillies’ first All-Star Game MVP since Johnny Callison in 1964. “Exciting, fun. There’s a lot of guys who deserve this (trophy), but I’m glad it’s going home with us to Philly.”

–Field Level Media