The Cubs and Indians are of course locked up 1-1 through two games of the 2016 World Series. We might be in for a long and potentially dramatic series, but already this particular Fall Classic is proving to be a popular one. That's not especially surprising, considering that the Cubs are a large-market franchise with a national following. They also, of course, haven't won a World Series since 1908, which adds to the appeal.
Speaking of appeal, the 2016 World Series is already reversing a pattern of decline with regard to TV ratings. Here's this from the Associated Press:
The first two games of the World Series averaged 18.3 million viewers on Fox, up 27 percent from last year and the most since 2009.
...
The two-game average of 10.7 [rating]/19 [share] and 19.2 million is the most since 11.8/19 and 19.2 million for the Yankees-Philadelphia Series in 2009.
Television ratings across the board aren't what they used to be, thanks mostly to the rise of the internet, so general decline is never to be taken at face value. That said, this is good news for baseball. The ratings decline has been reversed, and Cubs-Indians are putting up the strongest numbers since a series involving baseball's flagship franchise (and the large-market Phillies). Don't be surprised if the weekend games at Wrigley Field yield even stronger ratings.
