MLB's New Rules Boost Game Speed, Attendance, and Viewership

Major League Baseball's new rules to speed up games have resulted in the highest regular season attendance in seven years. This includes larger bases, a pitch clock, and eliminating the infield shift. Average game times shortened to 2 hours and 36 minutes, driving higher fan engagement and attendance.

New rules aimed at speeding up MLB games have resulted in higher attendance and viewership, the league said on Tuesday, announcing its highest regular season attendance in seven years. Major League Baseball introduced new measures to speed up games ahead of the 2023 season, including larger bases, a pitch clock and the elimination of the infield shift, a dramatic collection of changes aimed at bringing back younger fans.

The rule changes led to average game times of two hours and 36 minutes - the fastest since 1984 - and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred drew a connection between the speedy contests and an increase in attendance. Total attendance for the 2024 regular season reached 71,348,366, marking a 1% increase over last year, and an 11% jump from 2022.

'The increased enthusiasm baseball fans of all ages have shown the last two seasons is evident in all of the ways we track fan engagement,' Manfred said in a statement. MLB noted that shorter games also drove up weekday attendance, with weeknight games seeing an average increase of 13% over two years.

The historic effort of Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani, who became the first MLB player to record 50 stolen bases and 50 home runs in a single season last month, added to the enthusiasm. 'Building off last year's momentum, the 2024 season was memorable with historic performances, emerging young stars, successful special events, and tight pennant races,' said Manfred.

(With inputs from agencies.)