Angels-Dodgers Rivalry Produces Most-Viewed Game of 2025 in Key Metric

Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada (5) scores a run on a sacrifice fly ahead of a tag from Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) during the second inning at Angel Stadium on Aug. 13. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Angels haven't often had the upper hand over the Los Angeles Dodgers over the last decade.

On the field, the Dodgers have won two World Series championships (2020, 2024) while the Angels are still looking for their first postseason appearance since 2014 — the longest active playoff drought in MLB.

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Even though the Dodgers have been at or near the top of the standings again in 2025, the Angels managed to sweep their head-to-head season series with a 6-5 win at home on Aug. 13.

It was only the second time the Halos have swept the "Freeway Series" for an entire season; they also went 4-0 against the Dodgers in 2019. Dating to last year, the Angels have won seven straight games against the Dodgers — their longest winning streak ever in the history of the interleague series.

For FanDuel Sports Network, the Angels' regional broadcast partner, Aug. 13 marked a big day for another reason. According to the Orange County Business Journal, the completion of the season sweep versus the Dodgers marked the Angels' most widely streamed game of the 2025 season.

The report also notes that FanDuel's streaming audiences for Angels games were up 189 percent from Opening Day to the All-Star Break (July 14-16) compared to the same period last year. That was perhaps to be expected. Not only are more customers cutting their cable cords in favor of streaming packages, but the Angels have been playing better than they did a year ago.

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The Angels were 47-49 at the 2025 All-Star break, compared to 41-55 in 2024. They probably won't reach the postseason — FanGraphs estimated the Angels' odds at 0.2 percent through week's end — but they have definitely been easier to watch this year than last. The Angels ultimately lost a franchise-record 99 games in 2024.

The ratings race also highlights an area in which the Angels were able to claim bragging rights over the Dodgers for years. When the Dodgers launched their team-owned RSN, SportsNet LA, in 2014, local cable providers other than Time Warner were slow to sign up to carry the network.

That led to an embarrassing visibility issue across the region for the Dodgers. Over the years, the channel eventually became more widely available for local cable subscribers. SportsNet LA even launched its own streaming channel.

But for much of the last decade, if the majority of local cable subscribers wanted to watch the Dodgers without attending a game in person, the Angels' regional sports network was the place to go.

Against this backdrop, it always made sense when a broadcast on the Angels' RSN (whether Fox Sports West, Bally Sports West, or now FanDuel Sports Network West) drew its best ratings of the season when the Dodgers were involved.

The record streaming numbers last head-to-head game between the teams had nothing to do with fans' inability to watch the Dodgers elsewhere, however. It was entirely the product of the Angels doing something good on the field — and extending their head-to-head winning streak over the Dodgers in the process.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.