WBC final shatters ratings record, bests 2025 NBA Finals, for Fox
Venezuela’s thrilling victory over the United States in the World Baseball Classic championship game on March 17 set a record for the Fox networks — and attracted more viewers on average than the 2025 NBA Finals. Fox Sports relayed the eye-popping ratings numbers from Nielsen on March 19: with an average of 10,784,000 viewers between Fox and Fox Deportes, the game was the most-watched WBC telecast ever. MORE: Fox gets 7 million reasons to celebrate WBC semifinal matchup Including the final, the 2026 WBC averaged 1,294,000 viewers across FOX, FS1 and FS2 over the course of the two-week tournament.
For comparison’s sake, the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers averaged just 10. 2 million viewers, per Nielsen . In 2023, 4.
48 million tuned in to watch the USA-Japan final on FS1. The 2026 championship game witnessed a 128 percent increase, and peaked at 12. 1 million viewers from 10:30-10:45 p.
m. on Fox. For the entire tournament, WBC ratings saw a 156 percent increase compared to 2023.
The record viewership numbers reflect the increased interest in the WBC both in the United States and abroad. It certainly didn’t hurt that the host country made it all the way to the championship game after beating the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the semifinals. However, Venezuela prevailed with a run in the ninth inning to win its first WBC championship in the 20-year history of the event.