MLB attendance highest since 2017 season

MLB announced this week that attendance is up, as the league reported the highest attendance numbers since the 2017 season.

BY FIELD LEVEL MEDIA

Oct 3, 2024, 9:44 AM

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Major League Baseball finished the 2024 regular season with its highest total attendance since 2017, the league announced Tuesday.

MLB also experienced increases in TV viewership, streaming and fan engagement, which the league attributed in part to quicker games — the 2:36 average was the shortest since 1984 (2:35).

“The increased enthusiasm baseball fans of all ages have shown the last two seasons is evident in all of the ways we track fan engagement,” commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Building off last year’s momentum, the 2024 season was memorable with historic performances, emerging young stars, a series of successful special events, and tight pennant races. We thank all the fans for their outstanding support and look forward to an exciting postseason.”

The total attendance of 71,348,366 was up 1 percent over the 2023 season. It is the first time that attendance has grown in back-to-back seasons since 2011-12. Weekday attendance is up 13 percent since 2022.

MLB’s national TV partners enjoyed double-digit growth among adults ages 18-34: ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” (up 12 percent), FS1 (24 percent) and MLB Network (36 percent).

MLB.TV set a new benchmark with 14.5 billion minutes watched, an increase of 14 percent from 2023. Seven of the 10 most-watched days ever on MLB.TV occurred this season.

Baseball’s social media platforms also registered double-digit growth over the previous season: Instagram (up 28 percent), X/Twitter (69 percent), Facebook (17 percent) and YouTube (33 percent).

International viewership increased by 18 percent over 2023, led by double-figure growth in Asia (up 32 percent) and Latin America (16 percent).

–Field Level Media

Upcoming 2024 MLB Playoffs & Offseason Dates

Playoffs

Sunday, September 29th – 2024 MLB regular season ends
Tuesday, October 1st-Thursday, October 3rd – MLB Wild Card Series
Saturday, October 5th-Saturday, October 12th – MLB Division Series
Sunday, October 13th-Tuesday, October 22nd – MLB Championship Series
Friday, October 25th-Saturday, November 2nd – 2024 MLB World Series

Offseason

MLB free agency begins the day after the final World Series game
Players can sign contracts with new teams five days after the final World Series game
December 8-11th – MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas, TX
February TBD – Pitchers & catchers report for Spring Training

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