15.5 Million Viewers Tune In to Witness Giants Win World Championship on FOX

The San Francisco Giants captured their secondWorld Series title in three years last night and 15.5 million viewers tuned in to see the extra innings drama unfold on FOX Sports.

Sunday night's decisive Game 4, which completed the Giants' sweep of the Detroit Tigers, posted 8.9/14 fast-national rating/share, according to Nielsen Media Research. The average audience of 15.5 million viewers is up +2% from last year's Game 4 average (15.2 million viewers, 9.2/14 rating/share).

The Giants aren't the only ones to sweep during this series. FOX is projected to win both Saturday (Game 3) and Sunday nights in the coveted Adults 18-49 demographic, giving the network a win each World Series night this year. Saturday and Sunday's broadcasts also won the night in household ratings, bringing the network to a total of three primetime wins during the Fall Classic. Game 3 on Saturday night posted a 6.1/11 fast-national rating/share.

When compared against other primetime programming, the World Series remains a top-ten force. The 2012 World Series averaged a 7.6/12 rating/share and 12.7 million viewers, ranking No. 9 in viewership among all primetime programming this season. This year's four-game series still placed No. 2 among Men 18-49 (4.7); No. 3 in Men 25-54 (5.6); No. 4 with Men 18-34 (4.0); tied for No. 6 in Adults 18 - 49 (3.7); tied for No. 8 in Adults 18 - 34 (3.2) and No. 9 among Adults 25-54 (4.3).

"The World Series has been a top ten primetime hit for over 40 years and even with a four-game sweep this series was no exception," said Michael Mulvihill, Senior Vice President of Programming and Research, FOX Sports Media Group. "This World Series gave us exactly what we expected: a top ten show among all viewers and a top five show among hard-to-reach younger men. It's important for us to remain focused on the Series relative to today's competitive environment rather than bygone years. The World Series remains a powerful force in primetime and we're fortunate to have the Fall Classic for at least nine more years to look forward to."

World Series Game 4 is the highest-rated, most-watched primetime program in households on FOX since the AMERICAN IDOLFinale this past May and provided the network its best Sunday night primetime performance since the NFC Championship Game on January 22, 2012. Last night's game peaked with an 11.3 at 11:45 PM as the decisive 10th inningunfolded.

San Francisco led all marketswith a 38.7/64 for Game 4, scoring the best rating of any MLB game in that market since Game 7 of the 2002 World Series between the Angels and the Giants. Detroit scored a 37.9/53 for Game 4, notching Motown's highest rating for an MLB game since Game 2 of the 2006 World Series between the Tigers and the Cardinals.

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