NBC scored the largest Premier League audience of the season last weekend. In other news, over 900,000 viewers watched a delayed Bundesliga match on FOX, and the WNBA Playoffs got off to a mixed start on ESPN2.
Premier League Hits High on NBC
- Last Saturday’s Manchester United/Liverpool English Premier League match drew 1.2 million viewers on NBC, up 73% from West Ham/Liverpool last year (693K) and the most-watched match of the season. The previous high was 1.0 million for Chelsea/Swansea City on the opening weekend of the season. (via Sports Business Daily)
Over 900K For Delayed Bundesliga on FOX
- FOX drew 926,000 viewers for tape-delayed coverage of last Sunday’s Bayern Munich/Augsburg Bundesliga match, which had a direct lead-in from NFL coverage in 67% of TV markets. In the remaining markets, it aired before the NFL. Live coverage of the match aired on Fox Sports 1 the previous morning, earning just 40,000 viewers. (via SBD, Sports TV Ratings)
WNBA Playoffs Openers Mixed on ESPN2
- Game 1 of the Fever/Sky WNBA playoff series drew 162,000 viewers on ESPN2 Thursday night, up 3% from Mystics/Fever last year (158K) but down 16% from Mystics/Dream in 2013 (192K). Shock/Mercury Game 1 had 125,000 later in the night, down 55% from Stars/Lynx last year (278K) and down 42% from Mercury/Sparks in 2013 (214K). Both games were topped by the United States/Haiti women’s soccer friendly on Fox Sports 1 (207K). (via Sports TV Ratings)
