The first-ever Serie A game on the CBS network marked a historic occasion for the American broadcast channel, celebrating its viewership of Italian top-flight football. The contest between newly promoted Parma and Italian giant AC Milan, which took place on Saturday, averaged an audience of 360,000 on the CBS network.
CBS invested significantly in promoting and covering this contest. The broadcaster sent a pitchside crew to Parma specifically for coverage of this game. Moreover, this fixture was the first in a triple-header of soccer games aired by CBS that Saturday - two NWSL matches followed the Serie A contest.
While these numbers may not seem impressive compared to other games' viewership figures, it's worth noting that this is only the second time a Serie A game has been aired on over-the-air television in America. The previous instance was ABC’s broadcast of Fiorentina vs Atalanta in 2021 which pulled 225,000 viewers.
Stiff competition faced by CBS
Saturday’s match between Parma and Milan kicked off at 12:30 p.m. ET but faced stiff competition from other high-profile matches happening simultaneously. In particular, Aston Villa hosted Arsenal in what was touted as one of English Premier League's best games that weekend; it averaged an impressive 838,000 across USA Network and Telemundo with an English-language audience tallying up to 561,000 on USA Network alone.
Simultaneously Borussia Dortmund hosted Frankfurt on ESPN+, while Barcelona vs Athletic Club was also available via ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. Although exact viewership figures for these Bundesliga and LaLiga matches are not available at present time; there is no doubt they diverted potential eyes away from the Serie A clash being showcased by CBS.
An advantageous game for CBS
Despite the competition, CBS had an advantage with a game that was likely to interest American audiences. Both Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah, two players of significant interest to American soccer fans, started in the match.
While CBS's first-ever Serie A broadcast faced stiff competition from other leagues' matches, it still managed to pull a respectable viewership. As the network continues its coverage of Italian top-flight football and other sports events, it will be interesting to see how these numbers evolve over time.
