The first round of the MLB Postseason set a new record for viewership, with young viewers paying more attention. The 11-game series averaged 4.625 million viewers, a 64% increase over last year and the highest since the current format in 2022.

The Red Sox-Yankees finale averaged 7.439 million viewers, making it the most-watched Wild Card game under the current format and the most-watched MLB game on ESPN since the Red Sox-Yankees wild-card game in 2021. 89% of viewers under 35 and 109% of viewers under 17 watched, while 6.4 million viewers in Japan watched Shohei Ohtani's and the Dodgers' debut against the Reds, the highest number of viewers ever recorded for an out-of-market game in that country. The Japanese audience of 6.4 million viewers watched the first game between Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers and the Reds, a record for a local wild card game.