The final Major League Soccer season on NBCSN got off to a much stronger start over the weekend.
Saturday’s Sounders/Sporting KC MLS season opener earned 330,000 viewers on NBCSN, up 208% from the network’s Dynamo/DC United opener last year (107K), and up 302% from Red Bulls/FC Dallas in 2012 (82K). Viewership also increased 49% from last year’s ESPN2 opener between the Timbers and Red Bulls (221K).
The match ranks as the third-most viewed MLS telecast ever on NBCSN (three seasons), trailing only two matches that had lead-ins from the 2012 London Summer Olympics — FC Dallas/Timbers in August (405K) and Galaxy/FC Dallas in July (392K). Saturday’s match had a lead-in from the English Premier League.
The 2014 MLS season is the last on the NBC family of networks. ESPN and Fox Sports are expected to acquire MLS rights in a joint bid.
