Foxs primetime TV turnout for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game was not directly assisted by its afternoon World Cup semifinals broadcast, given the time gap between events, but the network still managed to deliver its largest audience for the baseball showcase in eight years.According to Nielsen Big Data + Panel estimates, the American Leagues 4-0 victory on Tuesday night averaged 8.79 million viewers, good for a 21% improvement versus Fox Sports year-ago turnout (7.19 million). The Fox broadcast flagship accounted for 98.6% of the overall ASG deliveries, with an average draw of 8.68 million, while the remaining portion tuned in via Fox Deportes.Two-and-a-half million of those Fox viewers were members of the 18-49 demo, up 30% compared to last years 1.92 million.All told, Tuesday nights audience was the largest for an ASG since 2018, when Fox averaged 8.69 million viewers. The last time Fox broke the eight-figure mark for MLBs annual exhibition was in 2015, when the ALs 6-3 defeat of the NL averaged 10.9 million viewers. ABC retains bragging rights for the most-watched ASG of the modern Nielsen era (1987-present), as the 1988 edition at Riverfront Stadium averaged a staggering 29.5 million viewers.Since the century began, the top ASG draw was Foxs 2001 broadcast, which scared up just over 16 million viewers.Foxs 2026 gains were made in the absence of superstars Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, who over the last several years have been baseballs biggest draws. The Midsummer Classics leading vote-grabber, with 3.34 million Phase 1 ballots cast in his favor, Ohtani last week opted out of the trip to Philadelphia in order to rest a balky left knee. Judge has been sidelined with a fractured right rib since June 5, although the Yankees believe the outfielder may have broken the bone as far back as late April.Per preliminary Nielsen data, Tuesday afternoons World Cup semifinal match between Spain and France averaged 11.5 million viewers on Fox, peaking at 15.6 million in the 4:45 p.m.-5 p.m. EDT quarter-hour. While thatd make for an enviable lead-in and Fox made sure to promote the ASG during the FIFA broadcast, the baseball exhibition didnt officially begin until 8:19 p.m. EDT.In other words, an interval of more three hours separated the two sporting events, during which time Fox threw to its local affiliates. As such, Foxs presentation of Spains 2-0 win cannot be characterized as a true lead-in.More from Sportico.comJapan Video-Game Publisher Goes Global With Nippon Baseball GameNationals Prospect Anchors Latest Push to Securitize Athlete PayFox Boosts Quiet MLB All-Star Game With Countless Player VoicesTuesday nights game drew a 4.38 household rating, good for an overall reach of 5.61 million homes. Per Nielsen, 16% of all TVs in use during the broadcast were tuned to Fox.As with all ratings reports, its worth noting that Nielsen this past fall completed a significant upgrade of its audience-tracking methodology, integrating Big Data deliveries via smart TVs and set-top boxes with its traditional panel measurement. The company also expanded its out-of-home monitoring, a development which has had an outsized impact on live sports ratings.Fox will be eager to resume its MLB coverage after the break, as the network closed out the front half of the season with an average draw of 2.27 million viewers per game, up 10% from the analogous period in 2025.Best of Sportico.comMost Expensive Sports Memorabilia and Collectibles in HistoryThe 100 Most Valuable Sports Teams in the WorldNFL Private Equity Ownership Rules: PE Can Now Own Stakes in TeamsSign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.