The playoff atmosphere always turns up the heat, but this year, Shohei Ohtani is taking it to a whole new level. Playing in his first MLB postseason, Ohtani has transformed the 2024 playoffs into a must-watch event, sparking record-breaking NLCS viewership. Just look at Game 1 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, which pulled in an incredible 8.264 million viewers—the highest for a League Championship Series opener since 2009. The “Ohtani Effect” has become real, and it’s paying off big time for everyone in the MLB orbit.
The Dodgers made a bold move, shelling out to bring Ohtani to LA, and the payoff is clear. Fans, broadcasters, and sponsors are riding high on the Ohtani wave, as TV ratings keep shattering records. According to MLB’s Bob Nightengale, the entire League Championship Series is seeing an 18% bump in viewership compared to last year, and Ohtani’s performance has kept fans glued to their screens. Game 5 of the NLDS even hit 7.5 million viewers, the best in seven years. And as Ohtani lights up the field, MLB’s broadcasting deal with FOX, worth $5.1 billion, is seeing the kinds of returns they only dreamed about.
This postseason surge goes beyond the Dodgers-Mets matchups; the National League as a whole is drawing an average of 4.09 million viewers, the highest for any postseason in the past decade. It’s the kind of impact that has advertisers scrambling, and if the Dodgers make it all the way to a Yankees showdown in the World Series, the numbers could be astronomical.
But first, the Dodgers have to get past the Mets. They dropped Game 2 despite a strong start in Game 1, and Ohtani will be crucial if they hope to get back on track. After hitting 54 homers and scoring 130 runs at a .310 average this season, he came out swinging in the NLCS opener but had a quieter night in Game 2. Fans are counting on Ohtani, the frontrunner for the 2024 NL MVP, to channel his regular-season magic once again and keep the Dodgers alive.
Will the “Ohtani Effect” carry LA to a World Series berth, or is this just a fleeting phenomenon? With Game 3 looming, fans are ready for answers. Let the debate begin!
