Red Sox Sweep Series, Will Fox Have to Wait 86 Years Before It's No. 1 Again?

A few weeks ago, most people didn't think that the Red Sox would be in the World Series, let alone sweep it. The same sort of conventional wisdom surely placed great doubts that the network broadcasting the series, Fox, would be up from fourth to first place with ages 18 to 49.

After six nights of baseball, Fox averaged 22 million viewers and a 7.8 rating among adults 18 to 49 during the week ended Oct. 24, which represented an 85.7 percent rise over the 4.2 it averaged in the demo for the previous week and almost double its closest competitor. As for the competition, CBS was at 4.0 and ABC, and NBC were both at 3.8.

But some wonder whether Fox can build on this momentum heading into sweeps week as it unveils new series such as "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss" and "The Rebel Billionaire" and returning shows like "Malcolm in the Middle" and "That 70s Show."

"Historically, the World Series broadcast hasn't had major coattails, to use the political season vernacular," said Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director at Horizon Media. "For one thing, a lot of the people who watch major league baseball are a little older than the demo Fox's shows are aiming for. Still, Fox was dead in the water before the playoffs and they've really pulled themselves up. Kind of like the Red Sox."

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