The viewing figures for last weekend’s soccer games on TV were more varied than usual given the return of MLS.
Plus there was the last minute switch by FOX Sports to move the biggest Bundesliga game of the season, between Dortmund and Bayern Munich, from FOX Soccer Plus to FX.
So how did all of the games do on US television? Let’s find out.
Pos. | Teams | No. of viewers | TV Network | Game time (ET) | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Club America vs. Monarcas | 1,385,000 | Univision/UDN | 6-8pm | Sat., 3/5 |
2 | WBA vs. Man United | 601,000 | NBCSN | 11am-1pm | Sun., 3/6 |
3 | Monterrey vs. Tigres | 505,000 | Univision Deportes | 8-10pm | Sat., 3/5 |
4 | Spurs vs. Arsenal | 475,000 | NBCSN | 7:45-9:45am | Sat., 3/5 |
5 | LA Galaxy vs. DC United | 468,000 | Univision Deportes/UniMas | 10am-Midnight | Sun., 3/6 |
6 | Eibar vs. Barcelona | 446,000 | beIN SPORTS en Español | 10am-Noon | Sun., 3/6 |
7 | Watford vs. Leicester | 438,000 | NBCSN | 12:30-2:30pm | Sat., 3/5 |
8 | Man City vs. West Ham | 379,000 | NBCSN | 10am-Noon | Sat., 3/5 |
9 | Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool | 374,000 | NBCSN | 8:30-10:30am | Sun., 3/6 |
10 | Portland vs. Columbus | 362,000 | ESPN | 5:30-7:30pm | Sun., 3/6 |
11 | Puebla vs. Veracruz | 318,000 | Univision Deportes | 6-8pm | Sun., 3/6 |
12 | Jaguares vs. Toluca | 292,000 | Univision Deportes | 10pm-midnight | Sat., 3/5 |
13 | Real Madrid vs. Celta Vigo | 280,000 | beIN SPORTS en Español | 10am-Noon | Sat., 3/5 |
14 | Seattle vs. Sporting KC | 267,000 | FS1 | 7:15-9:15pm | Sun., 3/6 |
15 | UNAM vs. Cruz Azul | 256,000 | Univision Deportes | 1pm-3pm | Sun., 3/6 |
16 | Everton vs. West Ham | 214,000 | USA | 10am-Noon | Sat., 3/5 |
17 | Valencia vs. Atletico Madrid | 201,000 | beIN SPORTS en Español | 2:30-4:30pm | Sun., 3/6 |
18 | Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich | 192,000 | FX | 12:30-2:30pm | Sat., 3/5 |
19 | Pachuca vs. Dorados | 93,000 | NBC Universo | 9pm-11pm | Sat., 3/5 |
20 | Real Madrid vs. Celta Vigo | 85,000 | beIN SPORTS | 10am-Noon | Sat., 3/5 |
21 | Villarreal vs. Las Palmas | 83,000 | beIN SPORTS en Español | 12-2pm | Sat., 3/5 |
22 | Getafe vs. Sevilla | 65,000 | beIN SPORTS en Español | 2:30-4:30pm | Sat., 3/5 |
23 | Deportivo vs. Malaga | 62,000 | beIN SPORTS en Español | 4:30-6:30pm | Sat., 3/5 |
24 | Augsburg vs. Leverkusen | 61,000 | FOX Sports 1 | 9:30-11:30am | Sat., 3/5 |
25 | Sporting vs. Benfica | 58,000 | Univision Deportes | 3:30-5:30pm | Sat., 3/5 |
26 | Hamburg vs. Hertha Berlin | 57,000 | FOX Sports 1 | 11:30am-1:30pm | Sun., 3/6 |
27 | Augsburg vs. Leverkusen | 56,000 | FOX Deportes | 9:30-11:30am | Sat., 3/5 |
28 | Spurs vs. Arsenal | 44,000 | NBC Universo | 7:45-9:45am | Sat., 3/5 |
29 | Inter vs. Palermo | 35,000 | beIN SPORTS | 2:45-4:45pm | Sun., 3/6 |
30 | Mainz vs. Darmstadt | 35,000 | FOX Sports 1 | 9:30-11:30am | Sun., 3/6 |
31 | Man City vs. Aston Villa | 32,000 | NBC Universo | 10am-Noon | Sat., 3/5 |
32 | Napoli vs. Chievo | 29,000 | beIN SPORTS | 2:45-4:45pm | Sat., 3/5 |
33 | Seattle vs. Sporting KC | 24,000 | FOX Deportes | 7:15-9:15pm | Sun., 3/6 |
34 | Watford vs. Leicester | 22,000 | NBC Universo | 12:30-2:30pm | Sat., 3/5 |
35 | Roma vs. Fiorentina | 21,000 | beIN SPORTS | 2:45-4:45pm | Fri., 3/4 |
36 | Roma vs. Fiorentina | 19,000 | beIN SPORTS en Español | 2:45-4:45pm | Fri., 3/4 |
37 | Mainz vs. Darmstadt | 17,000 | FOX Deportes | 9:30-11:30am | Sun., 3/6 |
38 | Wolfsburg vs. Monchengladbach | 13,000 | FOX Sports 2 | 9:30-11:30am | Sat., 3/5 |
39 | Willem II vs. Ajax | 12,000 | Univision Deportes | 8:30-10:30am | Sun., 3/6 |
40 | Burnley vs. Blackburn | 5,000 | beIN SPORTS | 7:30-9:30am | Sat., 3/5 |
Not surprisingly, the Dortmund-Bayern game on FX failed to crack 200,000 viewers despite the channel being in more than 92 million homes across the United States. FOX announced the change on Friday, which is the worst day of the week to announce any news. While the ultimate decision was the correct one, FOX missed a golden opportunity to bring the Bundesliga to a wider audience. Next time, hopefully FOX will get its act together sooner for a game of this importance.
While FOX flubbed, beIN SPORTS had an excellent showing over the weekend with impressive viewing numbers for the Eibar-Barcelona game on beIN SPORTS en Español.
Last but not least, the viewing numbers for Serie A continue to disappoint. The league is entertaining to watch, but the audiences aren’t tuning in to watch those games on beIN SPORTS in numbers.
What interesting observations can you make from the above rankings? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.
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