Perhaps it was the presence of Manchester United or leftover hype from the World Cup, but the 2010 MLS All-Star Game had a significant rise in viewership.
Manchester United’s 5-2 win over the MLS All-Stars in the MLS All-Star Game drew a 0.44 U.S. rating and 714,000 viewers on ESPN2 Wednesday night, up 57% and 48%, respectively, from last year (0.28, 484,000) and up 10% in ratings from 2008 (0.40, viewership unavailable).
The 714,000 viewers tops the ESPN2 regular season average of 251,000 (through 14 telecasts) by 185%.
To put the numbers in perspective, the MLS All-Star Game topped the recent WNBA All-Star Game (0.34, 429,000) and every game of last year’s WNBA Finals. Additionally, the telecast drew more viewers than every IndyCar telecast ever on Versus and every regular season NHL telecast on Versus during the 2009-10 season.
(ESPN)
