WORLD SERIES SLIDES INTO FIRST PLACE

Final metered-market ratings for Wednesday’s World Series finale put the audience total at 23.5 million with a 13.7 rating, according to Nielsen Research, which noted that about 52 million viewers watched at least part of the game. The ratings were off the charts in Kansas City, home of the losing Royals, and in San Francisco, home of the winning Giants. In Kansas, the 58.3 rating was the highest metered-market rating for any baseball game ever. San Francisco scored a 38.8 rating. Although early reports suggested that the series would go down in the record books as the lowest-rated ever, the final two games reversed the downtrend with the seven games averaging 13.8 million viewers and an 8.2 rating. Six of the seven games gave Fox a ratings win in the key 18-49 age group. "The incredible 2014 postseason has once again provided FOX with a top-10 prime time show and has made FOX Sports 1 the fastest-growing network in all of television," Eric Shanks, Fox Sports president, said in a statement.