NBC Sports US network has set a new record with its highest-ever viewing figures for the coverage of an English Premier League (EPL) soccer opening weekend. The first set of matches from the 20-team EPL, which took place between Friday, August 16 and Monday, August 19 saw an average viewing number of 820,000 across six games that were live across various NBC platforms.
The showpiece game of the weekend was clash of Chelsea and vs Manchester City. This match averaged a total audience delivery figure for NBC of 1.85 million viewers making it the most-watched opening weekend EPL match on record in the US.
In addition to this impressive figure, Telemundo - the Spanish-language network run by NBCUniversal - brought in another average viewership of 368,000 for that game which Manchester City won with a scoreline of 2-0.
Continued success with EPL coverage
NBC also attracted an average viewership of 480,000 for their coverage of Manchester United's home win against Fulham in their first game in the EPL season (2024-25). The major network holds exclusive rights to broadcast EPL matches in both English and Spanish languages through a deal unveiled back in November 2021 covering seasons from 2022 to '28. This agreement is reportedly worth £2 billion ($2.69 billion when it was announced), marking one of NBC’s foremost soccer and sports properties.
In late May this year, NBC claimed that its coverage during the previous season (2023-24) delivered an unprecedentedly large audience averaging at about half-a-million per TV match window on NBC Sports alone. This made it not only one but the most-watched Premier League campaign ever recorded within US borders.
The previous record was set in the 2015-16 season with an average of 541,000 viewers. The last campaign also marked the first time that NBC's Peacock streaming service exceeded a million viewers for a single Premier League match.
A rising trend
Earlier this month, NBC noted a significant uptick in audience numbers for its coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics matches compared to figures from Tokyo three years ago. NBC attracted an impressive figure of 30.6 million viewers across its platforms for the Olympics, marking an increase of 82% (16.9 million) from Tokyo.
These figures show that NBC's sports coverage is reaching new heights and attracting more audiences than ever before - whether it be EPL soccer or Olympic events - proving their successful strategy in securing broadcasting rights and delivering high-quality content to sports fans and betting enthusiasts alike.
