How to watch soccer on NBC Sports

Read our guide below about how to watch soccer on NBC Sports.

When it comes to broadcasting soccer in the United States, NBC Sports have reached a very high watermark with its coverage of the Premier League since 2013 as well as broadcasts of other games.

NBC’s current soccer rights

NBC may not have the rights to broadcast a vast variety of soccer competitions, but they do have the Premier League. The Premier League is the most-watched club soccer league in the world. NBC Sports averaged over 460,000 viewers per match in the United States during the 2019-20 campaign, a slight increase over the previous season. In total, over 10 million people watched Premier League games on the U.S. network’s channels throughout last season.

NBC currently airs soccer matches on multiple channels. While it can be a little confusing to find out where each match is broadcasted, we’re here to help and let you know where to find these important games on NBC’s family of networks. Premier League matches can be found on NBCSN, over-the-air local NBC channels, Peacock Premium (we’ll get to that in a minute), as well as Telemundo and Universo in Spanish language. Along with the Premier League, NBC also currently holds the rights to air the FA Women’s Super League and Summer Olympics matches. As always, check WorldSoccerTalk.com to find out exactly what channel to turn to prior to match day.

Peacock Premium

While there are plenty of Premier League matches on NBCSN and NBC, there are also quite a bit of games on Peacock Premium. The network’s streaming service costs $4.99 per month and offers exclusive access to approximately 46% of Premier League games each season, as well as movies, original series, and even next-day viewing to current NBC shows.

The streaming service also has an option to pay $49.99 annually, which saves viewers about $10 per year. Xfinity and Cox customers can get free access to Peacock Premium without having to pay the extra $4.99 per month.

Users can stream Peacock Premium on their web browsers, Apple and Android mobile devices, Apple and Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, certain LG and Vizio Smart TV’s, Playstation 4, XBOX One, and on participating Xfinity and Cox cable boxes.

How to watch soccer via NBCSN

Along with the aforementioned ways to access Peacock Premium, you will also have to purchase an additional cable/satellite/streaming service to watch all of the Premier League matches as possible. Traditional cable/satellite providers such as Xfinity, Cox, Spectrum, DirecTV, and DISH Network all have packages that offer the NBCSN channel. However, streaming platforms are almost always a cheaper and more streamlined option compared to conventional services.

For cord cutters, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling Blue, and YouTube TV all carry the NBCSN channel. Though varying in price and total channels offered, these streaming services are a great and efficient way to watch TV.

History of NBC Sports

Launched over 70 years ago, NBC Sports has a long history of televising sports here in the United States. On an experimental sports channel called W2XBS, as well as using their main NBC channel, the mammoth network first aired Major League Baseball, National Football League, boxing, and college baseball games prior to WWII. This was the first time that any of these sports were televised in the States.

Following the end of the war, sports became regular viewing on NBC. Throughout the 1940’s and 50’s, NBC became the exclusive broadcaster of the MLB World Series, the NFL Championship (predating the Super Bowl), the Rose Bowl, and many regular season NBA, MLB, and NFL games.

Undeniably the country’s go-to network for sports for most of the 20th century, NBC did not launch their own exclusive sports channel until 1995. Beginning as the Outdoor Life Network, the sports channel was initially dedicated to fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports. This all changed in 2006 when NBC decided to change the name of the channel to Versus. With the addition of boxing and MMA coverage, the network ended their focus on just outdoor activities.

Versus eventually became NBC Sports Network, and then just NBCSN, after a few years and quickly expanded their broadcasting rights. While NBC has the longest history of televising sports in the United States, the network’s soccer coverage is actually quite short.

From 2012 through 2014, NBCSN televised Major League Soccer games, but NBC Sports declined to try to renew their rights after MLS was asking for rights fees that were far greater than what the league generated despite lackluster TV ratings. Then from 2013, NBC Sports acquired the rights for the English Premier League. The rights deal was later extended to 2022 in a deal that cemented the league’s position as the most-watched soccer league on U.S. English-language television.

Have questions about how to watch soccer on NBC Sports? Let us know in the comments section below.

More guides:

• How to watch soccer on CBS Sports
• How to watch soccer on ESPN
• How to watch soccer on FOX Sports
• How to watch soccer on NBC Sports
• How to watch soccer on Univision