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This Saturday night in Singapore, New Delhi, Beijing and Sydney, the sounds of TV sets blaring Arsenal and Manchester United will be heard when the game will be televised live during prime time in Asia and at midnight down under.
For TV producers in Asia and Australasia, it’s a dream come true. Two of the Premier League’s biggest supported sides battling against each other. Last season, <a href="http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2007/11/04/arsenal-versus-man-utd-a-billion-viewers-television-and-football-today/" target="_blank">one billion people worldwide reportedly watched the match</a>. This year, that number could reach even higher.
For viewers in the United States, the kickoff time isn’t as copacetic. On the west coast, the game will be shown live at 4:45am PT, while it can be viewed on the east coast at 7:45am ET. Perhaps even more crucial for U.S. viewers, the game is only available on Setanta Sports, which is not available on most cable networks.
It’s a shame the game wasn’t on Fox Soccer Channel. Otherwise we could learn how many people watched the game in the States.
For example, the early October game between Manchester City and Liverpool drew 224,000 viewers on Fox. Quite an impressive number when you consider that ESPN2’s average was 253,000 for MLS games in the 2008 season. And ESPN2’s televised broadcasts were during primetime on a network that is in 96 million homes compared with 30 million homes for FSC.
We’ll have to wait until the next massive game on Fox Soccer Channel, which isn’t until Sunday, November 30th when Chelsea plays Arsenal at 11am ET.
While TV ratings for Premier League matches in the United States are climbing, ESPN2’s TV ratings for MLS games have decreased by 12.5% from an average of 289,000 in 2007 to 253,000 in 2008. Fox Soccer Channel’s MLS TV ratings, meanwhile, have averaged a depressing 40,000 viewers per broadcast.

Massive Worldwide TV Ratings Expected for Arsenal v Man United

Massive Worldwide TV Ratings Expected for Arsenal v Man United - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/fox-soccer-channel2.jpg" alt="fox-soccer-channel2.jpg" align="right" vspace="15" hspace="15"></figure></div>Fox Soccer Channel’s first Nielsen Ratings have been released giving soccer fans and advertisers alike a glimpse into how many people watch soccer on the network in the United States.
Here are the figures for the opening weekend of October:
<ol>
<li>Manchester City v Liverpool, 224,000 viewers</li>
<li>Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United, 199,000 viewers</li>
<li>England v Kazakhstan, 176,000 viewers</li>
<li>West Bromwich Albion v Fulham, 81,000 viewers</li>
</ol>
And this is how televised games from the other leagues shown on FSC compare to English football:
<ol>
<li>Juventus v Palermo, 81,000 viewers</li>
<li>DC United v Chivas, 39,000 viewers</li>
<li>Dallas v Toronto, 32,000 viewers</li>
</ol>
Comparing how many viewers watch soccer games on ESPN versus Fox Soccer Channel, ESPN2’s MLS Primetime Thursday has averaged 261,000 viewers through 23 games this season, so the 224,000 viewers for Man City against Liverpool is pretty close. And remember, the game kicked off at 10am ET on a Sunday. What will be revealing is how many viewers Fox gets when Manchester United or Arsenal plays during the 11am ET kickoff time.
Also interesting is how the televised Premier League games did against similar sports programs for males in the 18-49 demographic. On October 4th, Blackburn against Man United had higher ratings than UFC Fight Night On Spike. October 5th’s Man City against Liverpool match, meanwhile, had higher ratings than NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network. On both days, those Premier League matches almost had more viewers than NASCAR shown on the Speed network.
For me, the biggest talking point from these numbers is that Fox is almost beating ESPN2’s ratings for MLS games even though FSC is only in 30 million homes, while ESPN2 is in 96 million homes. Imagine how many more viewers would be watching Premier League football in the United States if (1) the games were shown on ESPN or ESPN2, (2) and the games were shown during primetime.
Of course, it’s impossible for Premier League games to be shown in primetime in the United States, but if an idea such as the <a href="http://epltalk.com/what-is-the-premier-league-cup/3426" target="_blank">Premier League Cup</a> happened and one or more of the games were played in the U.S. during primetime, you have to wonder how high the ratings would be.
What are your thoughts about the above ratings? Are they higher or lower than you expected? Let us know by clicking the comments link below.

Fox Soccer Channel Almost Beats ESPN2 In TV Ratings

Fox Soccer Channel Almost Beats ESPN2 In TV Ratings - World Soccer Talk

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I love watching Premier League teams on television just as much as anyone, but I must admit that I’m a bit sick of EPL teams monopolizing ESPN’s Champions League coverage in their Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon timeslots.

This has been happening for a couple of years. I’m sure ESPN thinks that the more often they show Premier League teams that the greater the likelihood that TV ratings will increase, but by doing that they risk losing the neutral soccer fan who enjoys English football but wants to see some of the other great games.
Take this week for example. ESPN2 showed Aalborg against Man United yesterday and will show Liverpool versus PSV Eindhoven this afternoon. Instead of showing these two predictable matches, ESPN2 would have wiser to show Zenit St. Petersburg against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich versus Lyon, and Inter Milan against Werder Bremen.
Why not relegate the matches involving Premier League teams to ESPN Classic and show the bigger matches on ESPN2?
It didn’t used to be this way. A few years ago, the opposite was true where it was pretty difficult to see Premier League teams in action on ESPN on Champions League days. All I’m asking for is a fair and balanced offering of quality football matches that we all can enjoy and learn from.

ESPN2 Shows EPL Teams Too Often In Champions League

ESPN2 Shows EPL Teams Too Often In Champions League - World Soccer Talk

As we head into the final weekend of Euro 2008, ESPN&nbsp;decided to take&nbsp;the occasion yesterday to put out a new press release talking about how the tournament is doing viewership wise through the quarterfinal round.&nbsp; So, what did they have to&nbsp;say?
As noted in the headline, the Spain v Italy quarterfinal shown on ESPN Sunday was the most watched Euro 2008 match before the semifinals.&nbsp; The&nbsp;game scored a 1.4 rating, with 1.39 million homes and 1.91 million viewers tuning in.&nbsp; Given these were two of the highest-profile teams in the tournament, the result doesn’t come as much of a surprise.&nbsp; Overall, in six matches shown on the ESPN, the average rating is a .9, with 835,000 homes and 1.1 million viewers.&nbsp; Compared to the same time slot (2:30-5PM eastern)&nbsp;on ESPN&nbsp;in 2007, this represents an 80% increase in rating, a 90% increase in households, and a 116% increase in total viewers from the network average.
Meanwhile, ESPN2 in 16 matches aired&nbsp;has a .5 rating with 506,000 homes and 635,000 viewers, which&nbsp;respectively represent a&nbsp;67%, 59%, and 75% increase on&nbsp;ESPN2’s average for the same time slot in 2007.&nbsp; And the online video service ESPN360 has had it’s biggest month in history between Euro 2008, the US Open, and Wimbledon, with eight of the 10 most viewed single events being Euro matches.
As for the one game broadcast on ABC, the Netherlands v Russia&nbsp;quarterfinal finished with a 1.2 rating&nbsp;and 1.84 million viewers according to ratings site <a href="http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/06/27/top-sports-shows-june-16-22-celtics-celebration/4267">TV by the Numbers.</a>&nbsp; Compared to other Saturday afternoon sports broadcasts, it roughly fell in the middle of the pack.&nbsp;&nbsp;The match finished well behind FOX Saturday Baseball and the Men’s Gymnastics Olympic Trials on NBC, but it did finish ahead of the rest of NBC’s afternoon sports lineup and the PGA Tour on CBS.
Overall, the&nbsp;ratings seem fairly&nbsp;positive given this is an event without an obvious American interest and with most of its matches falling in the middle of the workday. Positive enough to ensure its return in four years time, or to cause ESPN to bring in more European soccer? We will have to wait and see. For now, the focus will be on a big finish with Sunday’s soccer doubleheader on ABC, with the LA Galaxy&nbsp;playing DC United in MLS action&nbsp;before the Germany v Spain final.

Spain-Italy Most Watched Match So Far And Other ESPN Euro Ratings News

Spain-Italy Most Watched Match So Far And Other ESPN Euro Ratings News - World Soccer Talk

If you happen to notice a sense of relief coming from ESPN in the last few days, there is a reason for it.&nbsp; It’s because, while they are not coming in World Cup numbers, viewers are tuning in to the network’s broadcasts of Euro 2008.
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ESPN announced today that, for the 15 Euro 2008 matches shown on ESPN2 through Tuesday, June 17th, the average rating for the tournament is .5, with 521,000 homes tuning in and 655,000 viewers.&nbsp; Compared to the network average for the same time block (Noon to 5PM eastern) in 2007, this represents a 64% increase in households tuned in to ESPN2 (2007 average of 318,000 homes), a 67% increase in rating, and an 81% increase in viewers (2007 average of 362,000 viewers).&nbsp; The most watched match of the tournament on ESPN2 was this past Saturday between Sweden and Spain.&nbsp; The match netted a .9 rating from 831,000 homes and 1.01 million viewers.
In addition to ESPN2, the Spanish-language broadcasts on ESPN Deportes have been averaging an additional 74,000 Hispanic homes per match.&nbsp; This puts the combined household average of ESPN2 and Deportes for each match at just shy of 600,000 homes.&nbsp; Interestingly, the most watched match on Deportes so far is the opening-day broadcast of Portugal v Turkey, seen in 123,000 Hispanic homes.
Along with the viewership on TV, ESPN is also getting more eyeballs online.&nbsp; ESPN’s Soccernet website has averaged over 1 million daily visits during the tournament, an 82 percent increase over the same period during Euro 2004.&nbsp; The tournament is also contributing to ESPN360’s most watched month online since it’s relaunch in September of last year.
With increased viewership being seen on cable, ESPN will now be hoping for a successful jump to broadcast TV with the Netherlands v Russia quarterfinal this Saturday and the final next Sunday on ABC.&nbsp; But for now, programmers will be breathing a little easier at the worldwide leader in sports.

ESPN2 Sees 64% Increase in Households For Euro &#039;08 Over Network Average

ESPN2 Sees 64% Increase in Households For Euro &#039;08 Over Network Average - World Soccer Talk

ESPN2 Sees 64% Increase in Households For Euro '08 Over Network Average

So, after having over 1 million viewers tune in for the UEFA Champions League Final last month, how is ESPN doing with the early broadcasts for Euro 2008?&nbsp; The answer is not as well as the final, but fairly decent overall.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/11/sports/SOC-Euro-2008-TV.php">According to the Associated Press</a>, these were the numbers for each game broadcast over the first three days:
Saturday (ESPN Classic) 
Switzerland v Czech Republic- 169,000 
Portugal v Turkey- 291,000
Sunday (ESPN2) 
Austria v Croatia- 445,000 
Germany v Poland- 683,000
Monday (ESPN2) 
France v Romania- 393,000 
Netherlands v Italy- 553,000
Note that these numbers are just for the English language broadcast, and doesn’t include the ESPN Deportes Spanish language broadcast.&nbsp; Do the math, and it comes out to an average of 422,000 viewers per match.&nbsp; While ratings are dependent on households tuned in and not total viewers, that would suggest an average rating of .3 so far.&nbsp; While expected due to being available in more households, all four matches on ESPN2 did better than the two shown on ESPN Classic.&nbsp; The four games shown on ESPN2 had an average audience of over a half-million.
For ESPN, these numbers are ok, given these are group stage matches and not the more dramatic all-or-nothing knockout rounds.&nbsp; The best news of the bunch maybe the over 500,000 for Netherlands v Italy, given that was squarely in the middle of the American workday.&nbsp; Now ESPN will be looking for these numbers to build as the&nbsp;tournament goes on, especially with the final airing on broadcast network ABC.&nbsp; In reality, while good numbers early are nice to have, it will be the numbers at the end that will determine how much of a success ESPN’s Euro 2008 broadcast will be.

Viewership Numbers For ESPN Euro &#039;08 Broadcasts So Far Are Not Bad

Viewership Numbers For ESPN Euro &#039;08 Broadcasts So Far Are Not Bad - World Soccer Talk

Viewership Numbers For ESPN Euro '08 Broadcasts So Far Are Not Bad

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/andy-gray.jpg" alt="Andy Gray" align="right" hspace="15" vspace="15"></figure></div>Andy Gray, one of the top football co-commentators and pundits in the world, made his appearance this afternoon not on Sky Sports but instead on ESPN. What Gray gives ESPN is instant credibility, which the network desperately needs if it’s to establish itself as an authority on soccer coverage both in the United States and around the world.
ESPN must have paid a hefty fee to convince the world’s number co-commentator to leave his home in the United Kingdom and work the summer at ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut. For ESPN, it’s a gamble. Paying a high salary for Gray’s expertise is ESPN rolling the dice. With an authority figure like Gray in a pivotal role at ESPN this June, the network will be hoping for increased viewing figures in return as well as satisfied advertisers. The two go hand in hand.
Gray’s knowledge of the game was quickly evident during the opening matches of Euro 2008 today. For the Switzerland against Czech Republic opener, Gray took his seat as a pundit and offered his input regarding the match from Basel. But where Gray truly shown was when he switched seats and became co-commentator for the Turkey against Portugal match.
The difference between Tommy Smyth and Andy Gray is immense. While Smyth seems to contradict himself during controversial moments in matches where we’re seeking his insight, Gray on the other hand is direct and decisive, and tells it like it is. With Gray, he points out things that we, the viewers, don’t see the first time. Plus the Scotsman does it in such a confident and authoritative manner that it’s hard to ignore.
A perfect example of this was the disallowed goal during the first 15 minutes of Portugal against Turkey. Gray spotted the incident and called it as he saw it — offside. If that was Smyth, he would have sounded hesitant, made a call and probably changed his mind when viewing the TV replay.
ESPN’s decision to hire Gray as the expert for this summer’s tournament is a shrewd move. Casual sports fans who may not know Gray as intimately as we do will find themselves absorbed by his analysis of the game. Home teams have the fans as their 12th man. ESPN has Andy Gray.

ESPN Makes Smart Move With Andy Gray Hiring

ESPN Makes Smart Move With Andy Gray Hiring - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/espn-logo.gif" alt="espn-logo.gif" align="right" vspace="15" hspace="15"></figure></div>So much focus is put on the Champions League Final and what happened during the game that it’s often easy to overlook the admirable job that ESPN2 did behind the scenes yesterday.
Their production was excellent and what I was most impressed by is that they continued the coverage all the way through until after Man United lifted the trophy. They could have easily cut away and gone to regular programming, but they kept the coverage going. This is definitely a positive sign that soccer carries more weight at ESPN. And it’s also a reassuring sign that the network will provide an exemplary experience this summer for ESPN’s coverage of Euro 2008.
Clarence Seedorf alongside Tommy Smyth and Derek Rae was a smart choice. Smyth was at his worst throughout the match saying inane things when it would have been better to think before he spoke. Rae was the rock that we’ve grown to love and trust. How he wasn’t involved in commentating ESPN’s coverage of World Cup 2006 I don’t know. Seedorf added a lot of great insight from a player’s perspective. It was a shame that he wasn’t there for the full match though.
I usually have a disdain for touchline reporters, but I thought ESPN’s Dave Roberts did a superb job at pitchside. His thoughts and observations were valuable. One perfect example was when he provided insight about the large divots in front of Van der Sar’s goal that were causing the goalkeeper some worries.
Kudos to ESPN for wonderful coverage.

ESPN Deserves Praise For Excellent Champions League Coverage

ESPN Deserves Praise For Excellent Champions League Coverage - World Soccer Talk

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