The final weekend of August continued the trend of low viewership for MLS broadcasts as the four MLS matches aired on the networks of ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision averaged only 197,500 viewers. Although up 22% from 155,000 viewers at the beginning of the month, the 15 MLS broadcasts during the month of August averaged only 177,000 viewers, representing a 44% drop when compared to the rest of the MLS season.

Liga MX and the English Premier League both saw large increases in viewership this weekend as 1.9 million watched Chivas dominate Club América in el Súper Clásico on the networks of Univision, and 1.1 million saw Manchester United’s late win against surprise club Hull City on NBC.

The Bundesliga continues to struggle when facing English competition as the match between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen in the same time slot as the aforementioned Manchester United/Hull City match delivered FOX’s lowest-ever rating for a Bundesliga match on the network, attracting only 248,000 viewers.

La Liga viewership was up in nearly every time slot as beIN SPORTS aired a condensed slate of 5 broadcasts compared to 8 in the opening weekend. Average viewership was up more than 100% and total viewership up 269,000 over the opening weekend.

Domestic numbers for the week:

Date Competition Start Time Home Away Network 1 Network 2 Total
8/26/16 MLS 8:00 PM Real Salt Lake Colorado Rapids UniMás; 116,000 Univision Deportes; 72,000 188,000
8/27/16 NASL 8:00 PM Miami FC Minnesota United beIN Sports; 13,000 13,000
8/28/16 MLS 2:30 PM New York Red Bulls New England Revolution ESPN; 186,000 ESPN Deportes; Not available 186,000
8/28/16 MLS 5:00 PM Portland Timbers Seattle Sounders ESPN; 253,000 ESPN Deportes; Not available 253,000
8/28/16 MLS 7:00 PM Orlando City SC New York City FC Fox Sports 1; 139,000 Fox Deportes; 24,000 163,000

Foreign numbers for the week:

Date Competition Start Time Team 1 Team 2 Network 1 Network 2 Total
8/22/16 La Liga 2:00 PM Celta Vigo Leganes beIN Sports; 10,000 beIN Español; 13,000 23,000
8/22/16 La Liga 4:00 PM Valencia Las Palmas beIN Sports; 16,000 beIN Español; 22,000 38,000
8/23/16 EFL Cup 2:45 PM Burton Albion Liverpool beIN Sports; 27,000 beIN Español; 7,000 34,000
8/23/16 UEFA CL Playoff 2:45 PM Monaco Villareal Fox Sports 2; 10,000 10,000
8/23/16 UEFA CL Playoff 2:45 PM Roma Porto Fox Sports 1; 79,000 Fox Deportes; 52,000 131,000
8/23/16 Copa MX 8:00 PM Toluca Lobos BUAP Univision Deportes; 96,000 96,000
8/23/16 Copa MX 10:00 PM Cruz Azul Unv. Guadalajara Univision Deportes; 171,000 171,000
8/24/16 EFL Cup 2:45 PM Morecambe AFC Bournemouth beIN Sports; 5,000 beIN Español; 2,000 7,000
8/24/16 UEFA CL Playoff 2:45 PM Rostov Ajax Fox Sports 2; 22,000 ESPN Deportes; Not available 22,000
8/24/16 UEFA CL Playoff 2:45 PM Manchester City Steaua Bucuresti Fox Sports 1; 113,000 Fox Deportes; 26,000 139,000
8/24/16 CONCACAF CL 8:00 PM Árabe Unido Don Bosco Univision Deportes; 62,000 62,000
8/25/16 CONCACAF CL 8:00 PM Honduras Progreso W Connection Univision Deportes; 40,000 40,000
8/25/16 CONCACAF CL 10:00 PM Saprissa Dragón Univision Deportes; 53,000 53,000
8/26/16 Bundesliga 2:30 PM Bayern Munich Werder Bremen Fox Sports 1; 59,000 GolTV; Not available 59,000
8/26/16 Championship 2:45 PM Burton Albion Derby County beIN SPORTS; 10,000 10,000
8/26/16 La Liga 2:45 PM Real Betis Deportivo La Coruña beIN Español; 16,000 16,000
8/27/16 Premier League 7:30 AM Spurs Liverpool NBCSN; 342,000 NBC Universo; 19,000 361,000
8/27/16 Bundesliga 9:30 AM Borussia Dortmund Mainz Fox Sports 2; 13,000 13,000
8/27/16 Bundesliga 9:30 AM Frankfurt Schalke 04 Fox Deportes; 26,000 26,000
8/27/16 Championship 10:00 AM Cardiff City Reading beIN SPORTS; 12,000 12,000
8/27/16 Premier League 10:00 AM Chelsea Burnley NBCSN; 388,000 NBC Universo; 43,000 431,000
8/27/16 Bundesliga 12:30 PM Mönchengladbach Bayer Leverkusen FOX; 248,000 Fox Deportes; 32,000 280,000
8/27/16 Premier League 12:30 PM Hull City Manchester United NBC; 1,160,000 NBC Universo; 84,000 1,244,000
8/27/16 La Liga 2:15 PM Real Madrid Celta Vigo beIN SPORTS; 110,000 beIN Español; 279,000 389,000
8/27/16 Primeira Liga 3:00 PM     Univision Deportes; 61,000 61,000
8/27/16 La Liga 4:15 PM Leganes Atletico Madrid beIN SPORTS; 50,000 beIN Español; 161,000 211,000
8/27/16 Liga MX 6:00 PM Querétaro Necaxa Univision Deportes; 302,000 302,000
8/27/16 Liga MX 8:00 PM Tigres Veracruz Univision; 541,000 541,000
8/27/16 Liga MX 8:06 PM Pachuca Monterrey NBC Universo; 134,000 134,000
8/27/16 Liga MX 10:00 PM Club América Chivas Univision; 1,168,000 Univision Deportes; 752,000 1,920,000
8/28/16 Premier League 8:30 AM West Brom Middlesbrough CNBC; 125,000 125,000
8/28/16 Bundesliga 9:30 AM Hertha Berlin Freiburg Fox Sports 1; 49,000 Fox Deportes; 10,000 59,000
8/28/16 Premier League 11:00 AM Manchester City West Ham United NBCSN; 493,000 Telemundo; Not available 493,000
8/28/16 Bundesliga 11:30 AM Hoffenheim RB Leipzig Fox Sports 2; 17,000 17,000
8/28/16 Serie A 12:00 PM inter Milan Palermo beIN SPORTS; 28,000 28,000
8/28/16 Liga MX 1:00 PM Toluca Monarcas Morelia Univision; 451,000 Univision Deportes; 95,000 546,000
8/28/16 La Liga 2:15 PM Athletic Bilbao Barcelona beIN SPORTS; 112,000 beIN Español; 312,000 424,000
8/28/16 La Liga 4:15 PM Villareal Sevilla beIN Español; 122,000 122,000
8/28/16 Liga MX 7:00 PM Santos Laguna León Univision Deportes; 218,000 218,000

Major League Soccer averages:

Overall ESPN ESPN2 ESPND FOX FS1 FOXD Univision UniMás UDN
285,617 315,773 201,500 46,000 498,000 168,524 34,920 827,000 166,619 68,905

Other league averages:

League Average
Liga MX 645,750
Premier League 428,176
La Liga 158,077
Bundesliga 90,800
Serie A 30,667
Eredivisie 27,000
Championship 16,375
Ligue 1 11,667
NASL 6,652
NWSL 0

HT: SportsTVRatings.