Future World Series Need Major League Soccer's TikTok Game
The Yankees-Dodgers matchup gave MLB a nice viewership bump on traditional TV. But social media gives leagues the biggest boost long term.
Thinking of a way to win big.
Photographer: Alex Slitz/Getty Images North AmericaOn Friday night, the World Series on Fox went up against Lionel Messi on TikTok. It wasn’t a fair fight. TikTok fixed a single camera on Messi — and only Messi — for the duration of his Major League Soccer playoff debut. At its peak, “Messi Cam” racked up around 150,000 viewers; the World Series, featuring the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, averaged over 15.2 million in the US alone. In Japan, viewership averaged a whopping 14.4 million.
Yet Major League Baseball shouldn’t expect the ratings blowouts to last perpetually. Streaming and social media have captured young sports fans, who are leaving behind the traditional television broadcasters crucial to baseball’s decades of success. In the long term, Major League Soccer’s media strategy — including its commitment to TikTok — is better poised to grow the league at home and abroad. MLB needs to emulate it or risk losing its lead.