NBC’s Premier League viewership has not been as strong as last year.
Last Saturday’s Chelsea/Everton English Premier League match had a 0.5 final rating and 693,000 viewers on NBC, down 29% in ratings and 24% in viewership from Queens Park/Manchester United in 2014 (0.7, 908K). There was no comparable window last year.
Through the first eleven weeks of the season, only one of the seven EPL windows on NBC has topped 900,000 viewers — Manchester United/Hull City in week three (1.2M). At the same point last season, five of nine windows had surpassed that mark, including three that topped one million.
As should be no surprise given it aired on broadcast, Chelsea’s 5-0 win was the top EPL match of the weekend.
On cable, Liverpool/Watford was the week’s top draw with 432,000 viewers last Sunday — up 9% from Everton/Sunderland last year (395K) and up 20% from Tottenham/Stoke City in 2014 (360K). Ratings were even (0.25 both this year and last). Later in the morning, Leicester City/West Brom had a 0.2 (-33%) and 293,000 (-30%).
Wrapping up the rare Sunday quadrupleheader, Arsenal/Tottenham started the morning with a 0.3 and 407,000 on NBCSN, while Swansea/Manchester United drew a 0.1 and 165,000 on CNBC. There were no comparable windows last year or in 2014.
Rounding out the weekend, Manchester City/Middlesbrough drew a 0.3 and 400,000 on NBCSN last Saturday morning — flat in ratings and up 5% in viewership from Crystal Palace/Manchester United last year (0.3, 382K) and up a tick and 10%, respectively, from Southampton/Leicester City in ’14 (0.2, 363K).
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 11/8)
