Back after a week off, the Premier League scored solid gains on NBC and NBCSN last weekend.
Last Saturday’s Watford/Arsenal English Premier League match drew a 0.5 final rating and 735,000 viewers on NBC, up a tick in ratings and 17% in viewership from Swansea City/Leicester City last year (0.4, 627K) and up 150% and 157%, respectively, from Southampton/Fulham on NBCSN in 2013 (0.2, 286K).
The match was the top Premier League telecast of the week, but the least-watched of the season on NBC (five telecasts).
Earlier in the day, NBCSN scored 574,000 for Everton/Manchester United — up 23% from Sunderland/Arsenal last year (466K) and up 45% from Manchester United/Stoke City in 2013 (397K). The telecast aired concurrently with Chelsea/Aston Villa on USA Network (212K), bringing the total audience for the window up to 786,000.
NBCSN opened the day with 453,000 for Tottenham/Liverpool, up 45% from West Ham/Manchester City last year (312K) and up 75% from Crystal Palace/Arsenal in 2013 (259K).
In other action, Sunday’s Newcastle/Norwich match drew 270,000 viewers on NBCSN — unsurprisingly down 79% from Manchester United/Chelsea on the NBC broadcast network last year (1.3M) and down 54% from Chelsea/Manchester City on NBCSN in 2013 (583K).
Monday’s Swansea City/Stoke City match rounded out the week nine schedule with 256,000 viewers, up 135% from Queens Park/Aston Villa last year (109K). There was no comparable match in 2013.
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily, Sports TV Ratings [1], [2], [3])
