MLB Rule Changes Continue To Spur Attendance Growth: Highest In Seven Years
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 03:07PM By Barry Janoff
October 1, 2024: As MLB enters the 2024 playoffs, it has reasons to celebrate the 2024 regular season.
MLB said the 2024 season recorded the largest attendance in seven years (2017) with a total of 71,348,366, a +1% increase over last year’s total (70.75 million).
The growth marks the first time MLB attendance has registered back-to-back attendance gains in 12 years (since 2011-12) and the highest since MLB drew 72.67 million in 2017.
MLB’s record attendance was 79.5 million in 2007.
Since the institution of new rules, attendance has grown by nearly 6.8 million marking a +11% increase since 2022.
MLB also said its national television partners “enjoyed a successful season with increases in television viewership and younger fans” while social media platforms all registered double-digit growth.
“The 2024 Major League Baseball season recorded increases in attendance, viewership, streaming and fan engagement in its second season of new rules which have shortened games, removed dead time, helped showcase the athleticism of the players and created more action on the bases,” according to MLB.
The average time of game in 2024 was 2:36, the lowest average in 40 years (1984, 2:35). Stolen bases also increased to 3,617, the most in 109 years (1915) and the third-most in any MLB season since 1900: 1914 (4,574) and 1915 (4,108).
“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 via MLB.
“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 post-season.”
MLB said 24 clubs (80%) “have increased their average attendance since the adoption of the new rules.”
During the weekend of June 14-16, MLB drew its best-attended weekend in 16 years (August 2008) for both total attendance (1,688,731) and average attendance (37,527).
Five teams topped the three million total attendance mark, led by the Los Angeles Dodgers (3,941,251/48,657 average).
The five also included the New York Yankees (3,309,838 total/41,896 average), Philadelphia Phillies (3,363,712/41,527), San Diego Padres (3,330,545/41,117) and Atlanta Braves (3,011,765/35,922).
The Chicago Cubs, at No. 6, fell just short of the three million total (2,909,755).
Concurrently, the Miami Marlins barely topped the one million mark in total attendance (1,087,453) and the departing Oakland A’s were No. 30 with a total attendance of 922,286 in their final season in the city.
MLB’s national television partners registered double-digit growth in the Adult 18-34 category, including ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball (+12%), FS1 (+24%) and MLB Network (+36%).
Fox registered a +9% increase in the 18-34 demo.
ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball finished the season with its most-watched season in five years (2019) with an average audience of 1,505,000 viewers, a +6% increase over last year.
Fox’s audience was consistent with last year’s average as the network attracted an average of 1,879,000, up slightly from last year’s 1,875,000.
MLB games on FS1 have increased +9%.
With an average audience of 375,000, MLB on TBS early prime time games increased viewership +2% versus last season.
Viewership for MLB Network Showcase games increased +11% versus last year with an average of 231,000. (MLB Network’s games are not shown in the home market of the participating clubs.)
MLB Network’s studio shows also registered gains this year, including MLB Central (+9%), High Heat (+14%), MLB Now (+9%), Intentional Talk (+23%), MLB Tonight: Batting Practice (+13%) and Big Inning (+7%).
MLB.TV set a new high of 14.5 billion minutes watched, a jump of +14% over last year’s previous high mark of 12.7 billion minutes watched.
According to MLB, “The 28 most-watched days in MLB.TV history have occurred in the last two seasons since the implementation of the new rules, with 19 of those days taking place in 2024.
“In addition, seven of the ten most-watched days ever on MLB.TV have occurred during the 2024 season.”
MLB social media platforms all registered double-digit growth over the previous season, including Instagram (+28%), X (formerly Twitter) (+69%), Facebook (+17%), and YouTube (+33%).
In the 24 hours surrounding Shohei Ohtani entering the 50/50 club, MLB posts generated 98.4 million impressions on X alone.
MLB said its international viewership increased during a season where the league played regular season games in Korea, Mexico City, and London.
Global viewership has increased +18% versus last season with double digit growth in Asia (+32%) and Latin America (+16%).
Led by former Japanese League stars Ohtani, Shota Imanaga, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, NHK in Japan is on pace to register its fourth-straight viewership gain (since 2021) with an average audience of nearly 2.2 million viewers.
In addition to registering double-digit increases on its national TV audiences in the 18-34 category, MLB said younger fans are increasingly engaging in baseball in other ways.
The percentage of ticket buyers ages 18-35 has jumped +8.5% in the last five years (since 2019).
The median age of ticket purchasers has decreased five years since 2019, from 51 to 46.
The average age of newly created accounts in MLB’s fan database has decreased by more than seven years since 2019 from 43.4 to 36.2.
“These are people who have at least one digital engagement over the past year which includes watching an MLB.TV stream, ticket purchase/scan, and MLB Shop purchases.”
MLB said that, according to SFIA (Sports and Fitness Industry Assn.), baseball participation is at nearly 16.7 million in the United States, the highest officially recorded level since SFIA’s survey of more than 120 sports began in 2008.
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