Fox Notches Largest MLB All-Star Viewership Since 2018

Fox Corporation recorded its largest audience for the MLB All-Star Game in eight years, driven by a significant increase in the key advertising demographic. Despite the absence of major stars like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, the American League’s 4-0 victory averaged 8.79 million viewers on Tuesday night, according to Nielsen data.

The viewership total represents a 21% improvement compared to the 7.19 million viewers who tuned in for the event in 2025. The vast majority of the audience, approximately 8.68 million viewers, watched the Fox broadcast flagship, accounting for 98.6% of the total deliveries. The remaining viewership came via Fox Deportes. This marks the highest turnout for the Midsummer Classic since 2018, when the broadcast averaged 8.69 million viewers.

The demographic data was particularly strong for the network. The game drew 2.5 million viewers in the 18-49 age range, a 30% jump from the 1.92 million recorded in the prior year. The overall performance contributed to a 4.38 household rating, reaching an estimated 5.61 million homes. Nielsen reported that 16% of all televisions in use during the broadcast were tuned to the game.

While the network aired a World Cup semifinal match earlier in the day that attracted 11.5 million viewers, the three-hour gap between the soccer match and the first pitch at 8:19 p.m. EDT meant the baseball game did not benefit from a direct lead-in audience. Nevertheless, the strong showing helps cap the first half of the baseball season for Fox, which has seen its average viewership per game rise 10% year-over-year to 2.27 million.

Fox Corporation shares were up 2.53% in afternoon trading, with the stock priced at $56.81. The company holds a market capitalization of approximately $23.47 billion.

What to watch

• Future viewership data for the second half of the MLB season following the All-Star break.
• Impact of Nielsen’s upgraded “Big Data” measurement methodology on future sports ratings reports.

Source: original release