Unsurprisingly, Game 1 of the Tokyo Series was must-watch TV in Japan. The MLB opener on Tuesday between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, featuring high-profile Japanese stars like Shohei Ohtani, attracted an astonishing 25 million viewers in Japan, according to MLB PR. With Japan’s total population around 125 million, that’s nearly one in five citizens tuning into the Dodgers’ victory.
Game 1 of the 2025 Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim averaged more than 25 million viewers across all platforms, making it the most-watched @MLB game ever in Japan. pic.twitter.com/dKyFP8T3qH
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) March 19, 2025
This audience shattered the previous Japanese viewership record set by Game 1 of last year’s Seoul Series, which drew 18.7 million viewers. Furthermore, 25 million is higher than any American baseball viewership since Game 7 of the 2017 World Series, which attracted 28.2 million fans in the U.S. The closest any American game has come to that figure since was Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, pulling in 23 million viewers. It’s impressive that, despite having a population about three times smaller than the U.S., Japan shows such substantial interest in America’s pastime.
This surge in interest is likely why Rob Manfred and MLB are considering packaging their media rights globally when they expire in 2028. The rising engagement in markets like Japan and South Korea could make these deals significantly more lucrative. Additionally, the recent news that ESPN is opting out of its agreement with the league after this year underscores where MLB stands in the American sports landscape. Seeing this kind of international growth is undoubtedly an encouraging sign for the league, prompting them to capitalize on it.
