In the hopes of increasing baseball’s viewership, the MLB has implemented rule changes in nuanced elements of the game to improve the pace of play. The newly introduced elements include a pitch timer, defensive shift limits, bigger bases, and a limited number of pick-off attempts.
These changes come from the MLB being hit hard between 2019 - 2022, with the World Series viewership on TV being the lowest in recorded history (reference the link below from Baseball Almanac for this data). TV viewership does not capture the full scope of fan presence but is accurately measurable compared to self-reported numbers from streaming services.
So far in the 2023 season, the goal has been achieved, with the average game duration being now roughly 30 minutes shorter. Opening day saw a +10% increase in viewership from 2,007,000 to 2,212,000 (as reported by FOX Sports). This is not a drastic shift, but the MLB remains hopeful that this is the beginning of an upward trend.
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