2024 Major League Baseball Season

After implementing a slate of rule changes to improve the pace of play across the league, Major League Baseball enjoyed strong attendance and viewership numbers in 2023. Looking ahead to 2024, the league has high expectations that its TV product will continue to build on this momentum.

Overall ballpark attendance eclipsed 70 million fans across the league last year, achieving MLB’s biggest bump in live attendance in years. Meanwhile, ESPN’s viewership for Sunday Night Baseball also enjoyed a strong bump over 2022’s audience numbers.

Similar results were seen across MLB’s regional broadcast partners, where total viewership increased by seven percent in 2023. Moving into the 2024 season, MLB is continuing to create new experiences aimed at increasing fan interest, starting with a first-of-its-kind Opening Day game in baseball-crazed South Korea. The league will also continue its broadcast partner relationships with a growing number of cable channels and streaming services, giving audiences more ways to follow their favorite team.

Thanks to the sheer size of Major League Baseball’s 162-game season, as well as its diverse cable and streaming partnerships, small businesses can choose from a wide range of advertising opportunities as they seek out cost-effective inventories around live sports events. From cable TV and streaming ads to second-screen campaigns on social media, Cox Media’s advertising experts can identify valuable inventories and digital ad strategies that fit your company’s advertising goals.

2024 MLB schedule:

• Thursday, February 22: Start of MLB Spring Training on ESPN and MLB.com
• Thursday, March 28: MLB Opening Day, start of MLB regular season on FOX, FS1, TBS, MAX, ESPN, ABC, MLB Network, and Apple TV+
• Tuesday, July 16: MLB All-Star Game on FOX
• Tuesday, October 1: Start of MLB postseason on TBA
• TBA: 2024 MLB World Series on FOX

Get a head start on your media buys for this year’s Major League Baseball season—contact us today to get started.