Sunday Final Nationals: Dodgers-Astros on Fox Second Most-Watched World Series Game Five in 14 Years

The five-hour, 25-minute “2017 World Series” Game 5 classic between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros placed Fox in the winner’s circle on Sunday night. By winning Sunday, the Fox network — like last year — has won each night it has televised the World Series.

The Game Five telecast averaged 18.94 million viewers from 8:14 p.m.-1:39 a.m. ET, down 20 percent from last year’s Indians-Cubs (23.638 million; best Game 5 mark since 1997) but up 10 percent from Royals-Mets in 2015 (17.206 million) and up 50 percent from Royals-Giants in 2014 (12.635 million). It’s the second best viewer mark for a World Series Game 5 since Yankees-Marlins in 2003 (19.919 million).

At an 10.5 household rating and 21 share, it was the second highest rated World Series Game Five telecast in eight years, since Yankees-Phillies in 2009 (10.6/16). Only Indians-Cubs last year (13.1/21) had rated higher within that span.

Prime time half-hour breakdowns for “2017 World Series – Game 5” were, as follows:

8:14-8:30
– 16.828 million viewers
– 9.6/16 HH
– 4.5/16 A18-49
– 3.4/15 A18-34
– 5.4/15 A25-54

8:30-9:00
– 18.406 million viewers
– 10.2/17 HH
– 4.7/16 A18-49
– 3.7/16 A18-34
– 5.7/16 A25-54

9:00-9:30
– 17.537 million viewers
– 9.6/16 HH
– 4.5/14 A18-49
– 3.5/14 A18-34
– 5.5/14 A25-54

9:30-10:00
– 17.888 million viewers
– 9.8/16 HH
– 4.6/14 A18-49
– 3.5/14 A18-34
– 5.7/15 A25-54

10:00-10:30
– 20.352 million viewers
– 11.1/19 HH
– 5.3/17 A18-49
– 4.1/17 A18-34
– 6.5/17 A25-54

10:30-11:00
– 19.617 million viewers
– 10.8/19 HH
– 5.4/18 A18-49
– 4.2/18 A18-34
– 6.5/18 A25-54

Opposite the World Series, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Detroit Lions (13.86 million viewers; 8.0 household rating/14 share) drew its least watched edition since Colts-Texans last year (13.6 million on Oct. 16, 2016) and its lowest rated edition in six years (Colts-Saints on Oct. 23, 2011, also opposite 2011 World Series Game 4: 7.6 rating).