A strong performance for Game 7 lifted the World Series out of record-low territory.

The seven-game Giants/Royals World Series averaged an 8.2 rating and 13.8 million viewers on FOX, down 8% in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year’s six-game Red Sox/Cardinals series (8.9, 14.9M) but up 8% and 9%, respectively, from the four-game Giants/Tigers series in 2012 (7.6, 12.7M).

Fox Deportes averaged 267,000 viewers for the series, bringing average viewership up to 14.1 million.

The Giants’ seven-game victory ranks as the second-lowest rated World Series ever, ahead of only Giants/Tigers in 2012. It also ranks as the third-least viewed, ahead of Giants/Tigers and Phillies/Rays in 2008 (13.6M). The five lowest rated World Series have taken place in the past seven seasons, with the Giants involved in three of the bottom four.

Through six games, Giants/Royals averaged what would have been a record-low 7.3 rating and 12.1 million viewers. Game 7 provided a major boost with a 13.7 and 23.5 million, up 69% and 75%, respectively, over the previous series-high. It was the most-watched baseball game in three years and the second-most watched in ten.

Several factors hampered this year’s ratings. Most of the games were long decided by the final innings, often in blowout fashion. Kansas City was possibly the smallest home market in World Series history, ranking 31st. Games were played on both Friday and Saturday, the two lowest rated nights of the week. Finally, the Sunday night game did not have an NFL lead-in — a move that resulted in a substantial decline.

The World Series averaged a 3.7 rating among adults 18-49, down 14% from last year (4.2), up a tick from 2012 (3.6), and the second-lowest for the World Series since at least 2001. That still compares favorably to other primetime programming. Giants/Royals helped FOX win the night among adults 18-49 six times, with Sunday the lone exception. The series also boosted the season-to-date primetime average on FOX from 2.0 to 2.4, an improvement of 20%.

For the fifth straight year and the sixth time in seven years, the World Series was outdrawn by the NBA Finals. The five-game Spurs/Heat series averaged a 9.3 rating, 15.5 million viewers and a 6.8 among adults 18-49. The World Series also trailed the five-game Bowl Championship Series (9.4, 16.5M).

(Series avg. from Fox Sports)