<P> ^ * * *: Gillette, which sponsored World Series telecasts exclusively from roughly 1947 to 1965 (prior to 1966, the Series announcers were chosen by the Gillette Company along with the Commissioner of Baseball and NBC), paid for airtime on DuMont's owned - and - operated Pittsburgh affiliate, WDTV (now KDKA - TV) to air the World Series . In the meantime, Gillette also bought airtime on ABC, CBS, and NBC . More to the point, in some cities, the World Series was broadcast on three different stations at once . </P> <P> ^ * * * *: NBC was originally scheduled to televise the entire 1995 World Series; however, due to the cancellation of the 1994 Series (which had been slated for ABC, who last televised a World Series in 1989), coverage ended up being split between the two networks . Game 5 is, to date, the last Major League Baseball game to be telecast by ABC (had there been a Game 7, ABC would've televised it). This was the only World Series to be produced under the "Baseball Network" umbrella (a revenue sharing joint venture between Major League Baseball, ABC, and NBC). In July 1995, both networks announced that they would be pulling out of what was supposed to be a six - year - long venture . NBC would next cover the 1997 (NBC's first entirely since 1988) and 1999 World Series over the course of a five - year - long contract, in which Fox would cover the World Series in even numbered years (1996, 1998, and 2000). </P> <P> Despite its name, the World Series remains solely the championship of the major - league baseball teams in the United States and Canada, although MLB, its players, and North American media sometimes informally refer to World Series winners as "world champions of baseball". </P> <P> The United States, Canada, and Mexico (Liga Méxicana de Béisbol, established 1925) were the only professional baseball countries until a few decades into the 20th century . The first Japanese professional baseball efforts began in 1920 . The current Japanese leagues date from the late 1940s (after World War II). Various Latin American leagues also formed around that time . </P>

How many countries play in world series baseball
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