As many had predicted, the 2008 World Series was the least-watched in history, hamstrung by bad weather and two squads with limited national fan bases.

The five-game series, which concluded Wednesday night with the Philadelphia Phillies’ win, averaged 13.6 million total viewers on Fox, off 14 percent from the previous record low of 15.8 million for the St. Louis Cardinals-Detroit Tigers series in 2006.

This year’s series averaged an 8.4 household rating and 14 share, down 17 percent from the 2006 series’ 10.1/17.

Many had expected the series to attract low ratings because of the teams participating. The Tampa Bay Rays, a 10-year-old expansion team that ranks near last in popularity among Major League Baseball squads, was playing in its first World Series.

The Phillies, while hailing from the nation’s No. 4 TV market, don’t have nearly the national following of the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox, who have played in the most-watched series of the past few years.

But perhaps the series’ biggest hurdle was the bad weather that resulted in a two-hour rain delay for game three and the suspension of game five, an unprecedented step in the modern series.

Game three started after 10 p.m. Saturday and didn’t conclude until nearly 2 a.m., driving it to all-time low viewership.

Game five began on Monday but was suspended amid driving rain with the two squads tied at 2-2. The conclusion of the contest on Wednesday night, combined with Monday’s start, gave Fox its highest-rated game of the series, averaging a 9.6/14 and 15.8 million viewers.

Still, the network did get some ratings mileage out of the series, picking up four nightly wins and finishing first among adults 18-49 last week for the first time this season.

Philadelphia led all local markets with a 36.3 average rating for the series, followed by Tampa/St. Petersburg at 28.4.