Source: Wikipedia

The 2014 MLB World Series began October 21 between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants and so far, it’s going exactly how host network Fox dreamed it would. That’s no thanks to the Giants heading into Game 6 tonight with a 3-2 lead, but because this series is turning into a long, drawn-out event with more and more viewers tuning in with every game.

Without the drama of famed LA, New York, or Boston teams, this series had the potential to miss most viewers, avid baseball fans or no. As a hyper-local sport, baseball struggles to attract a wide television audience to the World Series, especially with a heavily one-sided match up. But thanks to the competitive nature of the series thus far, all seven games must be played to determine a champion, guaranteeing valuable air time for World Series advertising from sponsors.

Though the price for a 30-second commercial during the World Series pales in comparison to one running during the Super Bowl, spots going for about $500,000 a piece can guarantee up to $43 million in additional ad revenue for each game played beyond the mandatory four.

Another perk of an extended World Series is getting the most out of a less-than-ideal market. Ranking 31st, the Kansas City DMA is not drawing a huge audience, not to mention the lack of any big-name star power on either team’s roster. And despite boasting the 6th overall DMA, it’s unlikely that the San Francisco-Oak-San Jose market could have carried the audience necessary to make a short, four-game series worth advertisers’ investments. The ongoing seven-game series is exactly what advertisers needed to justify their potentially risky ad spends, and the reassurance Fox was looking for after its first of eight contracted World Series broadcasts.

Will baseball ratings improve by the end of Fox’s agreement in 2021? Mike Mulvihill, senior vp of programs for Fox Sports, thinks so, but only time will tell.