Cumulative attendance of 4.99 million through 3 days of 452 games
TV viewership, up about 6% from the same number of games last season
The popularity of professional baseball continues to be as hot as the heat wave.
According to the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), the 2023 KBO League has drawn a cumulative total of 4,999,922 fans to 452 games through three days. Only 78 fans remain to reach 5 million.
If the league reaches 5 million fans on the 4th, it will be 93 games after reaching 4 million fans on the 2nd of last month. The number of games to reach 4 million to 5 million is the second fastest trend since 2015, when the 10-team format began. It took 91 games in 2016 to cross the 4-5 million mark.
The overall average attendance over the three-day period was also up 34% from the same number of matches the previous year at 11,062.
The team with the highest average attendance per game is the league-leading LG Twins. The Twins totaled 795,151 fans in their 49 games at home, averaging 16,228 fans per game. They lead the league in total attendance and average attendance among the 10 teams.
They are followed by the SSG Landers (14,755), Lotte Giants (13,258), Doosan Bears (13,025), Samsung Lions (10,040), and KIA Tigers (10,192), with six of the 10 clubs drawing more than 10,000 fans per game.
The Kiwoom Heroes saw the largest year-over-year increase, jumping from an average of 4548 fans last season to 8000 fans this year, a whopping 76% increase. NC Dinos saw a 70% increase in attendance, while Lotte and Hanwha Eagles each saw a 48% increase.
It’s also worth noting that the pace is ahead of the pre-COVID-19 season.
Average attendance is up about 3.4% compared to the same number of games in 2019. From the start of the 2019 season, it took 463 games to reach 5 million fans, but this season it took 457 games.
The KBO explained, “While the number of canceled games was significantly higher this season due to frequent rains since spring, fans are returning to the ballparks with a gradual return to normalcy.”
Television ratings are also up amidst a tight race for the top spot.
This year’s KBO League averaged a 0.864 rating (Nielsen Korea households) over three days, an increase of about 6 percent over the same number of games last season.
With fierce standings battles, 한국야동 the second half of the season is expected to attract even more fans.