The third-to-last week of the Premier League season brought another round of declines, with one exception.
Last Saturday’s Arsenal-Manchester United English Premier League match earned a 0.5 final rating and 767,000 viewers on NBCSN, up a tick in ratings and 41% in viewership from Southampton-Manchester City last year (0.4, 543K) and up a tick and 29% respectively from Chelsea-Liverpool in 2015 (0.4, 596K).
Arsenal’s win was the top match of the week, marking the third straight week* that a match on NBCSN outdrew coverage on the NBC broadcast network.
It delivered the third-largest EPL audience on cable this season, ranking behind Manchester United-Liverpool in January (881K) and Manchester United-Chelsea in April (816K).
The week’s other matches were all down year-over-year. NBC earned a 0.5 and 709,000 for Swansea-Everton last Saturday afternoon, down a tick in ratings and 16% in viewership from Arsenal-Norwich City last year (0.6, 842K). The comparable window in 2015 aired on NBCSN.
Earlier in the day, Hull City-Sunderland had a 0.2 (flat) and 310,000 on NBCSN (-6%), while Leicester City-Watford scored just 88,000 on CNBC (-53%). Returning to Sunday, Liverpool-Southampton plunged a whopping 58% in ratings (from .59 to .25) and 61% in viewership (from 908K to 358K), with the caveat that last year’s match featured Leicester City clinching an unexpected Premier League title.
Rounding out the week’s results, Chelsea-Middlesbourgh had 188,000 Monday morning (-55%).
* Not counting Week 34 (April 22-23), when NBC did not air a match.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 5.9, Nielsen)
