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<p>From January 2020 to January 2022, the number of subscribers for each major channel decreased on average. Of course, in that timeframe, the COVID-19 pandemic changed people’s TV viewing habits and hobbies in general.</p>
<p>Nielsen, the data and market measurement firm, recently reported its monthly estimates regarding television channel subscriptions. The findings look bleak for the networks. As a whole, multichannel services, meaning traditional cable, satellite, streaming, dropped more than 10% over the last two years.</p>
<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/how-to-stream-soccer/">Cord-cutting</a> is not necessarily something new in the American television landscape. However, Americans rapidly switched from traditional forms of multichannel TV to specific paid-streaming services. Undoubtedly, this accelerated much faster than anticipated in recent years.</p>
<p>Big conventional entertainment television channels suffered a significant drop in subscriptions during this timeframe. For example, TBS, TNT, TruTV, and USA dropped mightily. However, as many soccer fans in the United States know, NBC switched its home of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/11/02/premier-league-games-move-to-usa-after-nbcsn-shuts-down-dec-31/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Premier League over to USA Network</a>. It will be interesting to see the channel’s numbers moving forward due to the potential increased traffic. Nevertheless, the massive sports networks are not losing customers at the same rate as these entertainment channels.</p>
<p>Although ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and the now-defunct NBCSN are also down subscribers as well, they only dropped 2-4%. Comparatively the aforementioned entertainment channels dipped 6-9%. FS2 and beIN SPORTS, on the other hand, have actually seen an increase in viewers over the last two years. </p>
<p>One interesting thing to note is the drop in number of subscribers for each major channel in Spanish. While FS2 and beIN SPORTS both rose, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/channels/fox-deportes/">FOX Deportes</a> fell by 11% and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/channels/bein-sports-en-espanol/">beIN SPORTS en Español</a> sunk by 24%. The same applies to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/channels/espn-deportes/">ESPN Deportes</a>, which collapsed the most at 31% down over the two years.</p>
<h3>Number of subscribers for each major channel from 2020 to 2022</h3>
<div id="attachment_366613" style="width: 612px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2022/01/10/Insiders/Sports-media.aspx"><div><figure class="image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-366613" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-366613 size-full" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20220117_WST_366612_sports-networks-household-numbers.webp&amp;width=602&amp;height=709" alt="" width="602" height="709" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/01/sports-networks-household-numbers.png 602w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/01/sports-networks-household-numbers-300x353.png 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/01/sports-networks-household-numbers-600x707.png 600w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/01/sports-networks-household-numbers-150x177.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px"></figure></div></a><p id="caption-attachment-366613" class="wp-caption-text">Graphic via Sports Business Journal</p></div>
<p>The differences in subscriber rate could partially be down to the necessity to watch sporting events live. Many viewers access television shows the following day via streaming services such as <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=x2vYEsBAJH4&amp;offerid=669015.20&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hulu</a> or <a href="https://imp.i305175.net/c/330866/828265/11640?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.peacocktv.com%2Fsports%2Fpremier-league" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Peacock Premium</a>. Sure, some sports-specific streaming services offer next-day replays of games. Yet, the added-benefit of watching matches live is that much more important for the viewer.</p>
<h5>Soccer on US TV</h5>
<p>As far as soccer in America goes, there is a bit of a mix bag when looking at the data for the number of subscribers for each major channel. ESPN, FS1, FS2, NBCSN, and beIN SPORTS remain relatively steady under the circumstances. However, that contradicts the trends seen for Spanish-language channels beIN SPORTS en Español and ESPN Deportes.</p>
<p>The streaming service <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">ESPN+</a> appears to be a major contributing factor to the decline of these two channels. ESPN acquired the rights to distribute Spain’s extremely popular LaLiga ahead of the current season. Generally speaking, all games are available <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/07/17/espn-faq-for-la-liga-everything-you-need-to-know/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">solely through ESPN+</a>. There are a handful of exceptions when games are on TV too, such as the season-opening game, but the trend of streaming-only remains the same. This was the case for El Clásico. Some LaLiga aficionados missed the game due to its broadcast on ESPN+ rather than one of ESPN’s linear channels.</p>
<p>beIN SPORTS previously held the U.S. television rights to La Liga. The Spanish-language sports channel, beIN SPORTS en Español, also aired many of the fixtures in previous years. Despite <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/05/13/bein-sports-to-keep-on-fighting-despite-losing-laliga-rights-say-execs/">losing La Liga</a>, beIN SPORTS still currently has rights to a number of competitions. For example, the French Ligue 1, Turkish Super Lig, African Champions League, African Cup of Nations, and the CAF Confederation Cup all run on beIN SPORTS. However, not having La Liga anymore clearly dented its total number of subscribers.</p>
<p>As even more soccer content, and obviously other live sporting events, transition to streaming services, traditional television networks will likely continue to see their subscribers fall.</p>
<div class="ckeditor-em"><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1195929325&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&amp;visual=true" width="100%" height="300" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>
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The number of subscribers for each major channel dipped when looking at US TV. This trend applies to sports and entertainment.

Soccer on US TV: Number of subscribers for each major channel - World Soccer Talk

Soccer on US TV: Number of subscribers for each major channel

<p><a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq"></a></p><div><figure class="image"><a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq"></a></figure></div><p></p>
<p>ESPN+ is a must-have for many soccer fans in the United States. ESPN’s acquisition of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/07/17/espn-faq-for-la-liga-everything-you-need-to-know/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. rights to LaLiga</a> was built on the development of streaming services for sports coverage.</p>
<p>Not only does <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the service</a> stream matches in English, but they also air every LaLiga game in Spanish. The decision to stream in both languages was frankly essential for the company and viewers.</p>
<p>Prior to LaLiga’s agreement with ESPN, beIN SPORTS held the television rights for the Spanish league in the United States.</p>
<p>During the last five seasons, beIN SPORTS en Español pulled nearly three times the amount of viewers than their English-language beIN SPORTS channel for LaLiga matches. ESPN, clearly aware of these numbers, made the wise decision to stream LaLiga games in both English and Spanish.</p>
<p>With the prominence of Spanish-language broadcasts, ESPN gave the language special attention. ESPN+ General Manager Russell Wolff spoke on the platform’s growth in both languages.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>“We’ve seen steady subscriber growth overall on ESPN+ and have seen the Hispanic fan base grow as well,”</em> claimed Wolff in early 2020. <em>“Digital usage is up as well across the board, including on ESPN Deportes.”</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Additionally, Wolff mentioned the doors opened through the service’s multiple-language broadcasts. The boost in eyes watching the service means a consequential boost in possible advertisers.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>“More content should equal more usage, which should also lead to more attention from advertisers,”</em> Wolff said.</p>
<p><em>“With Spanish-language broadcasts, we have more opportunities to offer partners the chance to speak directly to Spanish language subscribers, which is a desirable audience that is hard to reach.”</em></p></blockquote>
<h3>ESPN+ Spanish-language experience</h3>
<p>Undeniably, it is a positive to have the Spanish-language broadcasts through ESPN+. However, the user experience for Spanish-speakers is disappointing to say the least.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/where-to-watch-la-liga-on-us-tv-and-internet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE</a>:</strong></em>&nbsp;<em>How to watch LaLiga on U.S. TV.</em></p>
<p>Yes, LaLiga matches and other viewing content can be streamed in Spanish. But, the actual navigation and commands in the app are in English no matter what subscribers watch. </p>
<p>ESPN+ does offer a <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/XxNNra" rel="noopener" target="_blank">sign-up process in Spanish</a>, but after you register for the app itself, it’s an all-English language experience.</p>
<p>A major factor for ESPN acquiring LaLiga rights in the U.S. was clearly to attract Spanish-language speakers. However, it appears as if ESPN could be doing more to help their target audience inside the actual app. It remains to be seen if the company currently has plans to make the necessary adjustments.</p>
<p>Yes, ESPN+ this week added a new section to the app entitled <a href="https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2021/09/espn-introduces-espn-mas-a-year-round-curated-collection-of-streaming-sports-content-for-and-about-hispanic-and-latinx-athletes-fans-and-communities/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ESPN+ MÁS</a> that focuses on Spanish-language content, but it isn’t enough. All of the navigation on the ESPN+ app is still in English.</p>
<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/08/05/messi-to-leave-barcelona-as-contract-talks-collapse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lionel Messi’s departure</a> from Barcelona to Ligue Un surely disappointed ESPN. Although the Spanish league will still remain one of the top divisions in European soccer, Messi’s departure certainly put a dent in ESPN’s projected subscriber growth.</p>


ESPN+ now broadcasts LaLiga coverage in the United States. Good news, they have English and Spanish. Bad news, the Spanish-language experience is subpar.

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Soccer on US TV: Number of subscribers for each major channel

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