MLB Can Harness Shohei Ohtani's Popularity For Global Growth

Major League Baseball's TV trials and tribulations are well-documented, but the league does have one significant card left to play to maximize the value of its media rights: Los Angeles Dodgers slugger (and pitcher) Shohei Ohtani.

The three-time league MVP was in his native Japan for the Tokyo Series this week, and the first game between the Dodgers and Cubs was a major hit on TV there. MLB PR reported that the contest scored 25 million viewers in Japan across all platforms.

• That number was over 6 million more viewers than the previous high for MLB viewership in Japan – last year's Seoul Series between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
• As Awful Announcing notes, that Japanese audience would eclipse any U.S. audience for an MLB game since 2017 (game 7 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Houston Astros).

As MLB looks for a new national TV partner to replace ESPN after this season, the easiest place to look is one that can extend reach beyond the U.S., where baseball has limited opportunities for growth.

Ohtani's immense popularity is key to that idea, especially now playing for the marquee-franchise Dodgers. If MLB finds a home with the likes of Netflix or Amazon, expect him and his very popular team to sit front-and-center of both national and international broadcasts for the rest of his career.