The hype around Sunday’s Liverpool vs. Manchester City clash was real, and the viewership numbers prove it! This match wasn’t just a battle of titans – it was a historic moment for the Premier League’s reach in the US.

Let’s break down the records:

* USA Network: A staggering 1.23 million viewers tuned in, making it the most-watched Premier League match on cable EVER.

* Telemundo: 566,000 viewers set a new record for the network’s Spanish-language Premier League coverage.

* Combined: A whopping 1.8 million viewers across English and Spanish-language broadcasts.

These numbers aren’t just impressive; they point to a potential sea change. The Premier League’s growing popularity in the US means we could be seeing more marquee matches on easily accessible channels.

This begs the questions:

* Is this a sign that soccer is finally breaking into the mainstream American sports scene?

* Will networks invest more in broadcasting rights for top-tier European leagues?

* What does this mean for the future of soccer fandom in the US?

by ewelumokeke

9 comments

  1. Who wouldn’t want to watch the World Series of North West England ?

  2. The numbers would mean more if we new what was the previous record holder and also what was the average rating in 22/23. Like it’s good but it’s not complete

  3. Wasn’t the previous record Man U at Arsenal early this season?

  4. 1.8 million on a country of 350 million does not sound like all that huge

  5. As a Liverpool fan, these numbers mean more to us than to City.

  6. Worth noting those figures are also for a rubbish tv time slot in the US.

  7. This is not news. Viewership has been growing consistently for years

  8. I might be a good example of a typical U.S. soccer fan:

    I grew up in Washington state in the 70s/80s and soccer was pretty big-lots of travel teams and kids leagues. The Sounders were an old NASL team. There wasn’t a lot of soccer on the boob-tube back then. Once we got out of grade school, soccer wasnt cool, except for a few kids into soccer and sometimes an exchange student.

    MLS came in the nineties, not because anyone wanted pro soccer here, but because they were required to form a professional league in order to host the World Cup in 1994. It was garbage until the 2000s when guess what happened? The U.S. made it to the world cup quarterfinals! MLS rode that popularity to a half-decent C league with a few stars here and there. So I watched and rooted for the new Sounders! It was great and I thought we finally had a real soccer league!
    Then in 2013, NBC started showing the Premier League and i finally learned what real football is. Since then, I picked a PL team (COYS!) and only watch MLS occasionally, though DC United has a killer stadium and the games are a blast.
    Ten years later, there’s a real Premier League fandom here in the states. Last Sunday there was no other sports on really at the time, do it was an easy watch for general sports fans. And what a game! But I think it’s really just the sports fans and media finally seeing what the diehard U.S. fans have known for a while.

    Anyways, yall have a good one.

  9. These numbers are meaningless.

    Networks are now allowed to count streaming services, plus count potential viewers at venues showing TV/sports.

    Every sport reporting numbers in the U.S. is reporting record numbers because they’ve changed the metrics of how viewers are counted – not necessarily because more people are actually watching.

    It’s like announcing record sales/profits/returns/etc., yet completely ignoring inflation.

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