Red Sox Viewership On NESN Soars To Highest Level Since ‘21 As Playoff Push Ignites Fans

NESN, New England’s premier sports network, on Wednesday announced that Boston Red Sox viewership has climbed to its highest level since 2021, fueled by surging fan engagement with the team’s playoff push, and including Friday’s win against the New York Yankees that marked the highest-rated game in more than three years.

On linear television, household ratings are up 46% for the season, while NESN 360 has seen explosive growth with unique viewers up 177% on the season and subscriptions up 111% compared to August 2024.

That momentum accelerated in August, which has included six of the 10 most-watched games in NESN 360 history. Through Aug. 24, average household ratings rose 6% from July and are up 46% year over year, while NESN 360 viewership climbed 11% month-over-month and 24% year over year.

More recently, both Red Sox-Yankees matchups last weekend on NESN ranked as the top-rated programs in the Boston market. Friday’s 1-0 Red Sox victory, in particular, was the highest-rated game on NESN since an 8-1 win over the Minnesota Twins during the 2022 home opening weekend. It also was the second-highest streamed game all-time on NESN 360 behind Roman Anthony’s MLB debut earlier this season.

“These results reflect the palpable energy and excitement fans are bringing to this playoff race,” said David Wisnia, President & CEO of NESN and Sportsnet Pittsburgh. “Whether on NESN or NESN 360, we are distributing more creative and dynamic content than ever before – and audiences are connecting with all of this in record numbers. We’re proud to deliver that experience across every platform.”

Helping to power the household rating increases are adults aged 25-54. August viewership among that demographic is up 23% vs. July, the previous highest month, and year-over-year ratings are up 123%.

NESN will deliver a lineup of unique programming for viewers this week, including:

• Aug. 27 – “Unobstructed Views” with Tom Caron on NESN+ (Red Sox vs. Orioles)
• Aug. 29 – Tom Caron Night, celebrating his 30th anniversary at NESN (Red Sox vs. Pirates)
• Aug. 29 – Multiview game on NESN+ (Red Sox vs. Pirates)
• Aug. 30 – “Batting Practice Live” on NESN 360 (Red Sox vs. Pirates)
• Sept. 2 – “Unobstructed Views” on NESN+ (Red Sox vs. Guardians)
• Sept. 2 – “Batting Practice Live” on NESN 360 (Red Sox vs. Guardians)