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Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 15 opening day games on 30th March generated a total of 172 million watched minutes on MLB.TV, setting a single day record for the direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform.
Confirmed:
- MLB’s opening day social media views are up 83 per cent year-over-year (YoY)
- Opening day set an all-time high for online merchandise sales, which rose ten per cent YoY
- MLB.TV offers live coverage of out-of-market games, excluding those broadcast nationally or in the user’s local market
Context:
Viewership for MLB’s opening fixture round shattered the platform’s previous high of 121 million minutes watched for the opening day of the 2021 season, beating the previous record by 42 per cent.
The North American baseball league added a number of fan engagement features to MLB.TV for the 2023 campaign, including live graphical overlays featuring betting data and statistics and 3D renders of all plays during selected matches.
Coming next:
While the league’s new rule changes will likely have piqued some interest in opening day, the ongoing adoption of streaming platforms and new additions to MLB’s apps will also have contributed to increased viewership – a positive sign for the league as it seeks to deepen engagement and attract more younger viewers.
Similarly, the uptick in social media views for the opening day of this year’s campaign suggests the league is on the right track in connecting with Gen Z audiences.
