In a week when two soccer telecasts drew over 5 million viewers, the MLS All-Star Game could not even attract 500,000.
The 2009 MLS All-Star Game drew a 0.3 U.S. rating and 484,000 viewers on ESPN2 Wednesday night. The game was down 28% in households (324,000 in ’09 versus 453,000 in ’08), compared to last year’s game on ESPN.
The MLS All-Star Game finished behind the WNBA All-Star Game earlier in the week (0.4 rating, 519,000 viewers). Keep in mind the WNBA game had the advantage of airing on broadcast.
The less than spectacular numbers for the MLS All-Star Game come in a week when soccer continues to draw strong audiences. Two Gold Cup telecasts on Univision (Costa Rica/Mexico and USA/Mexico) ranked 2nd and 3rd among the top 5 sports programs of the week. The USA/Mexico match drew 5.4 million viewers, while Costa Rica/Mexico drew 5.3 million.
The MLS All-Star Game also aired on Galavision. Ratings for the Galavision broadcast are unavailable.
Source: ESPN
Updated 8/1/09 to fix mistake; the match aired on Galavision, not Telefutura.
