Premier League viewership was up-and-down last weekend.
Last Saturday’s Chelsea/Bournemouth English Premier League match drew a 0.6 final rating and 961,000 viewers on NBC, flat in ratings but up 17% in viewership from Manchester City/Everton last year (0.6, 823K). The comparable match in 2013, Sunderland/Tottenham, aired on NBCSN and drew a 0.2 and 299,000.
Bournemouth’s win was the most-watched Premier League match of the week, no surprise given it aired on broadcast. Of the 11 telecasts on NBC this season, it ranks sixth in viewership — directly in the middle of the pack.
On cable, Newcastle/Liverpool topped the charts with 537,000 on NBCSN Sunday morning — up 41% from Aston Villa/Leicester City last year (381K) and up 8% from Arsenal/Everton in 2013 (499K). It was the top Premier League match on cable since Arsenal/Tottenham in week twelve (704K).
Manchester United/West Ham had 527,000 the previous day, up 24% from Liverpool/Sunderland last year (426K) and up 20% from Southampton/Manchester City in 2013 (439K). The double-digit increase came despite competition from Arsenal/Sunderland on USA Network, which drew 283,000. Combined, the window scored an audience of 810,000.
Viewership was not up across the board. Stoke City/Manchester City scored 350,000 in Saturday’s early window, down 35% from Newcastle/Chelsea last year (535K) but up 4% from Manchester United/Newcastle in 2013 (336K). Everton/Crystal Palace had just 101,000 on Monday afternoon, down 75% from Southampton/Manchester United last year (409K) and down 22% from Swansea City/Hull City in 2013 (130K).
(Wknd. numbers via Nielsen, Awful Announcing, Sports TV Ratings)
