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.
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