Two of the 5 over-the-air TV networks in the United States will be broadcasting European soccer games at the same time on Saturday when NBC features Southampton versus West Ham United, while FOX shows Bayer Leverkusen against Bayern Munich.
Originally, FOX’s high-profile game between Leverkusen and Bayern Munich was scheduled unopposed from Premier League competition on Saturday. But due to Liverpool and West Ham’s FA Cup game ending in a draw, West Ham will replay the game next week, which means that their Monday game against Southampton has been moved up to the Saturday 12:30pm ET / 5:30pm GMT time slot.
And with today’s announcement by NBC Sports Group that the Southampton vs. West Ham will be shown live on the over-the-air NBC network, that means that both NBC and FOX will duel to see who can get the larger viewing audience.
That’s great news for the growth of soccer in the United States, but disappointing news for the Bundesliga and FOX who will be competing head-to-head against the juggernaut that is the Premier League and NBC.
Which network will get the bigger TV rating? NBC or FOX? Vote in our poll below.
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