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Yankees local viewership rises amid World Cup competition

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 18, 2026, 1:20 PM

Last updated Jun 18, 2026

Yankees local viewership rises amid World Cup competition

Summary

Major League Baseball is navigating stiff competition from the FIFA World Cup and NBA Finals while maintaining substantial local viewership. The New York Yankees have seen their viewership rise to multi-year highs, averaging 294,000 viewers this season across YES Network and the Gotham Sports app. This represents a 16% increase among adults aged 25-54. However, national viewership has struggled, with Sunday Night Baseball drawing only 1.61 million viewers, the lowest audience this season for NBC. Similar challenges are evident in other national broadcasts, with ABC's game averaging just 1.41 million viewers.

Source Links

Yahoo Sports

By the Numbers

•Yankees games average 294,000 local viewers this season.
•Local viewership among adults 25-54 is up 16% year-over-year.
•Sunday Night Baseball recorded 1.61 million viewers, the lowest this season.
•ABC's Cubs-Giants game had 1.41 million viewers, a low point for MLB.
•Yankees' local viewership is on track for their best year since 2022.

Latest Updates

1:20 PMYahoo Sports — MLB’s local viewership shines as national windows face World Cup competition

What they're saying

"
While much of the attention in recent weeks has been on the NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup, Major League Baseball is still fighting for viewers’ attention. In theory, nowhere would this endeavor be harder than New York City. Despite the city’s New York Knicks fever after the team won the 2026 NBA Finals, local…
— Yahoo Sports

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