MLB All-Star Game ratings dip in despite dramatic finish
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% 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 MLB 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. eastern standard time 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. Brent Rooker launched two over the fence, while Kyle Stowers went 1-for-3. Randy Arozarena then hit one, before Kyle Schwarber sent all three out to give the NL a 4-3 lead entering the final round. Jonathan Aranda then went 0-for-3, clinching the bizarre National League victory — technically a 7-6 win — the league's second 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."
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