Field of Dreams game pulled only 1.66 million viewers on Netflix but what did MLB expect to happen?

The Phillies beat the Twins 7-1 at the Field of Dreams last Thursday, and while the game itself wasn’t exactly a nail-biter, Netflix still put together a genuinely high-quality, enjoyable broadcast.

The problem is that almost nobody watched it, and the way MLB and Netflix handled the whole thing tells you exactly why. This was a self-inflicted wound, and it was entirely predictable.

Filed of Dreams Viewership Is Rough

Let’s get to the ugly part. MLB’s first game at the Field of Dreams site in four years averaged just 1.66 million viewers on Netflix, according to Nielsen.

That’s a steep drop from recent MLB special events. The 2024 Rickwood Field game averaged 2.5 million on FOX and it gets worse when you look at Dyersville’s own history. The 2022 Field of Dreams game pulled over 3.1 million on Fox, and the inaugural 2021 game drew a staggering 5.9 million, making it the most-watched regular-season baseball game on any network since 2005.

So the trajectory is brutal. 5.9 million, to 3.1 million, to 1.66 million. That’s a collapse, and a big chunk of it comes down to sticking the game behind a streaming paywall.

This was Netflix’s third crack at an MLB broadcast after Opening Night and the Home Run Derby, part of the new media-rights deals with Netflix, NBC, and ESPN announced last November. And it’s been a mixed bag.

Opening Night reportedly drew around 3 million, but the Home Run Derby posted its lowest viewership in 23 years, and now these Field of Dreams numbers. Not a great start.

Honestly, This Was All Too Predictable

Seriously, what did MLB think was going to happen here? Only the NFL can get away with tossing a few games onto some random platform, because America is genuinely addicted to football and will follow it anywhere.

Baseball does not have that luxury. You are not going to see gains by putting a game on a gated platform where casual fans have to cough up $9 just to watch. In fact, you’re going to see notable losses, which is exactly what happened.

With Major League Baseball, Netflix has one game this month and nothing more, which is asinine. If you’re going to sacrifice reach by going to streaming, at least give people a reason to subscribe with regular, consistent content.

One-off games behind a paywall are the worst of both worlds.

The Matchup Didn’t Help

Hate to say it because the Phillies were involved but the matchup was a problem. No offense to the Twins, but they don’t have much of a national fanbase, and they haven’t been a true contender in years. The Phillies have been, but this was one of those August games where only one team brings any real national interest. You need a better matchup than that to headline a marquee event, especially one you’re asking people to pay for.

This was very much an “oh yeah, they’re playing that” game.

The Phillies have been playing less than stellar baseball since the All-Star break, and it’s Eagles season now, which means baseball naturally takes a back seat in this city until October rolls around. Mix in LeBron James and the Phillies are cooked unless they are playing good baseball which again, they haven’t been. So even locally, the buzz just wasn’t there the way it would’ve been a couple months ago.

The Scheduling Was Baffling Too

Here’s another head-scratcher. They played this thing on a Thursday, following a game the day before, which meant tired teams and a weeknight audience.

Why? Give it a dedicated window, a weekend slot, room to breathe, and let it be an event people plan their day around. Instead it got buried on a random Thursday night in the middle of a road trip.

The bottom line is that baseball isn’t like other sports.

You can’t just throw a random game onto a gated streaming platform and expect people to find it. So many people were already confused about how to even access the thing, and that confusion is death for viewership. Every extra step between a casual fan and the broadcast is another chunk of the audience lost.

At Least NBC Gets the Next One

I have my doubts that we’ll get any baseball next year but I guess the silver lining is that Netflix won’t have the Field of Dreams game to drag down again, because NBC Sports will broadcast the 2027 version between the Red Sox and Royals.

Back on traditional TV, where more people can actually find it, with a better-known matchup. That’s the right move.

Netflix still has time to build its MLB audience, at least until 2028, but this whole thing should be a lesson to the league. A beautiful setting, a quality broadcast, and a decent game still flopped because MLB put it in a place casual fans couldn’t easily reach and paired it with a matchup only half the country cared about.

That’s on the league, not the fans.

Do better, MLB. Make it easy to watch, make it a real matchup, and put it in a window that makes sense. The Field of Dreams deserves better than 1.66 million people squinting at their Netflix login.

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