MLB’s ‘Home Run Derby,’ All-Star Game Top Live Viewership: The Week in Sports Ratings

Elias Diaz of the Colorado Rockies hits the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.
Elias Diaz of the Colorado Rockies hits the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of the 2023 MLB All-Star Game. (Image credit: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Fox Sports and ESPN’s coverage of Major League Baseball All-Star festivities generated a ratings home run among last week’s live sports telecasts.  

Fox’s July 11 All-Star Game broadcast drew 7 million viewers to top all sports events for the week, according to Nielsen numbers published by SportsMedia Watch. The contest, won by the National League for its first victory over the American League since 2012, was the least-watched baseball All-Star game, dropping 7% from the previous low set last year. The game, however, still remains the most-watched All-Star Game among the major sports, according to SportsMedia Watch.

ESPN’s July 10 Home Run Derby telecast was the second-most watched live sports event last week with 5.52 million, but the number was down from last year’s 6.8 million viewers, and was the lowest since the 2018 event, according to Sports Business Journal. 

The conclusion of the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament placed several telecasts among the top 10 most watched events, including Univision’s coverage of the July 16 Mexico-Panama tournament final, which drew 4.32 million viewers. 

ESPN's July 16 telecast of the Wimbledon men's finals between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic finished fourth for the week with 3.19 million viewers, which was the biggest audience for the event since 2019. 

Also, ABC's July 15 WNBA All-Star Game drew 850,000 viewers, making it the league’s most-watched All-Star game in 16 years, according to ESPN. 

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Top-Rated Live Sports Events, July 10-16
DateEventNetworkViewership
July 11MLB All-Star Game Fox7 million
July 10Home Run DerbyESPN5.51 million
July 16Gold Cup 2023 (Mexico-Panama)Univision4.32 million
July 16Wimbledon Men's FinalsESPN3.19 million
July 12Gold Cup 2023 (Jamaica-Mexico)Univision2.77 million
July 12ESPYS AwardsESPN2.33 million
July 15Fox Saturday BaseballFox2.0 million
July 12Gold Cup 2023 (USA-Panama)Univision 1.88 million
July 16Scottish Open Golf TournamentCBS1.86 million
July 12Gold Cup 2023 (USA-Panama)FS11.50 million
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R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.