MLB.TV has experienced its most successful 18-day window ever since the season kicked off, completely defying former President Trump's appeals for fans to shun the sport.
MLB Communications reported that a thrilling start to the season—characterized by nail-biting games, standout star turns, and two no-hitters—led to a record-breaking 18-day viewing period on MLB.TV, the best in its 20-year history, featuring seven all-time high-traffic days.
These record figures emerged less than a month after Donald Trump urged the public to ignore baseball. On April 2, the former president called for a boycott of the league and other entities, such as Delta and Coke, accusing them of meddling in the integrity of elections.
Trump was particularly incensed when MLB relocated its All-Star game from Atlanta, Georgia, in response to the state's controversial new voting laws. These laws were condemned by many, including local corporations, for unfairly targeting minority voters. Although Georgia is typically a GOP stronghold, the 2020 election was an anomaly where Trump suffered a slim loss to Joe Biden. Regardless of Trump's lingering resentment over those results, MLB has seen a massive boom in its streaming subscriptions.
Georgia is traditionally a Republican stronghold but the 2020 election surprised many people as former president Trump lost to Joe Biden narrowly in the state. But despite the anger that Trump has due to the election results Major League Baseball has had a brilliant run with the streaming subscriptions.
The league revealed that the 2021 Opening Day set a new viewership record for MLB.TV. From that day through April 18, fans logged 1.34 billion minutes of streaming, representing a 12% jump compared to the same timeframe the previous year.
Trump has maintained a strained relationship with the world of baseball for years. While it is a longstanding tradition for U.S. presidents to throw the ceremonial first pitch during their time in office,