Fans are taking in Major League Baseball in more diverse ways than ever, (Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta ... More Braves/Getty Images) Getty Images Major League Baseball has been portrayed as having fans that are too old. That the league is “dying”, with many pointing to the chaos around the regional sports network ecosphere. That MLB pales when compared to the NBA in terms of popularity on television. These narratives have followed MLB around like grim death. But that fact is, these are all largely myths. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, well, here are 11,000 words to bolster the point that Major League Baseball is still vastly popular and that the average age of fans is right in line with the major sports leagues in North America. The data, provided by Playfly Media, which is a key advertising provider for multiple leagues, including MLB, drills down to show that with nearly all games now available via RSNs, baseball dominates on television and streaming at the local level. MLB’s Core Demographic Isn’t Dramatically Older Than Others There has been a myth that baseball is the sport of old people and is out of touch with other sports leagues that skew to a younger generation. But data from Nielsen Scarborough shows that the media age of an MLB fan is 54.04, below college football and the WNBA, and within small amounts from the NFL, college basketball, and much closer to the NBA than most think (avg. media age of 50.16). Only MLS at a median age of 49 is below the age of 50. MLB Sees A Massive Move Toward Direct-To-Consumer In an exclusive interview with me for Forbes, Playfly Media CEO Craig Sloan said that over the last 18 months there has been rapid change in the regional sports network space for MLB, with Diamond Sports Group exiting bankruptcy under the name Main Street Sports Group and rebranding from Bally Sports Networks to Fanduel Sports Networks; MLB taking over rights for several clubs that were once under Diamond including the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins, after already picking up the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado Rockies, and; some clubs have opted to go over-the-air. In the mix, platform shifting continues to happen. “There's now seven different ways that a local rights could go with, between direct consumer, direct distributor, broadcast, MLB sanctioned routes as well,” said Sloan. MORE FOR YOU Anonymous Hackers Expose Putin’s Secret Data—Publish Trump File Apple iPhone 17 Pro: Latest Leaks Claim To Show Updated Design iOS 18.4.1 iPhone Update: Apple Urges Installation For All Users With the change in the landscape, a groundswell of direct-to-consumer (DTC) apps and offerings is now available for local broadcasts of MLB games. While there has been a general slide in subscribers to traditional linear television, its demise is currently overstated. What is telling is that those who have no cable or satellite access to MLB games via RSNs, are flocking to DTC. “Now 80% plus of the consumption of streaming in these local markets is now coming through direct consumer,” said Sloan. MLB Is Defined By Viewership At The Local Level Since clubs moved to provide nearly all games in their local markets by way of regional sports networks, viewership RSNs has become the primary vehicle for fans to watch games. All told, 82% of games are now watched over the six-month regular season via RSNs, shown as Home Team Sports (HTS). The vast majority of MLB games are viewed via regional sports networks or direct-to-consumer over ... More national broadcasts. Playfly Media Source: Nielsen (Npower Ratings Analysis), MLB 2024: 3/28/2024 - 09/29/2024, P2+, LSD viewing. National Competition defined as ESPN/FOX/FS1/MLBN/TBS; Nielsen NSI LSD Projected to HTS Estimated Coverage Universe, P2+ And importantly, while some sports spike higher as they hit the playoffs (most notably college basketball with March Madness), the spike is over a short window. Only the NFL massively dominates the sports viewing landscape over time and audience size when sports combine national and local broadcasts. MLB’s “wave” is longer and sees the least amount of competition over the course of its season. The share of live sports viewing comparing major viewing trends over the course of 2024 by month. Playfly Media Source: Nielsen NTI LSD GRP Analysis on Live Sports Viewing CY 2024, without Olympics; Nielsen NSI LSD Projects to HTS Estimated Coverage Universe, P25-54 MLB Continues Drive Solid Interest From Advertisers Major League Baseball has exceptionally strong selling points for potential advertisers: they nearly all lead viewership in the local markets, the large inventory of games blankets nearly everyday, and the season is six months long. “Baseball's inherent advantage of from June on, especially through to the first weekend of NFL, is a massive window for a sport to essentially control, not only the sports audience, but the television audience,” said Sloan. “Even with ratings challenges on traditional TV, this is still the number one rated program in most major markets on not only one night a week, you're talking in most major markets they're on five to six times a week. Pretty incredible.” According to Home Team Sports, top advertisers in spending, followed by the top new spenders. Top 10 MLB National Spenders Ace Hardware Liberty Mutual Subway Capital One Jack in the Box Top 10 New National MLB Spenders: Inspire Medical Systems Novo Nordisk Johnsonville Sausage Charles Schwab National Association of Realtors MGM Studios MLB Sees Larger Per Game Average Audience Than Other Leagues In Key Markets The myth that MLB lags on the local broadcast side to large brands of other sports leagues is significantly overblown, as outlined in the following pie charts that show average audience per game. While the New York market might seem ripe for the Yankees to be the big player, the Mets also outsize the Knicks. In Los Angeles, the Dodgers outsize the Lakers, while the Angels outsize the Clippers. Some markets see massive disparity (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh), just one shows an MLB club lagging behind the NBA (Boston), and in Minneapolis-St. Paul, the Twins, Timberwolves, and Wild are largely even. New York market by average viewership at the local broadcast level. Playfly Media Los Angeles market by average viewership at the local broadcast level. PlayFly Media Atlanta market by average viewership at the local broadcast level. Playfly Media Pittsburgh market by average viewership at the local broadcast level. Playfly Media Chicago market by average viewership at the local broadcast level. Playfly Media Boston market by average viewership at the local broadcast level. Playfly Media Philadelphia market by average viewership at the local broadcast level. Playfly Media Detroit market by average viewership at the local broadcast level. Playfly Media Minneapolis-St. Paul market by average viewership at the local broadcast level. Playfly Media Data for pie charts: Average delivery by team in key markets: NBA 2024/25 season as of 03.29.25, NHL 2024/25 Season as of 3.27.25, MLB complete 2024 Season, P2+ Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades