By Ben Nicholson
November 5 – MLS 2014 season TV viewership figures for ESPN show a slight rise from 2013, following the trend of increased attendance figures. However, excepting 2013, each year since 2006 has recorded more viewers than 2014, proving there is still much to do in terms of popularising the MLS on television.
Working to the detriment of the figures is the fact that fewer live games were aired than ever before. Only eighteen games made the screens in 2014, in comparison to the twenty or more that have been shown every year since 2006.
Furthermore, only one of these games made the cut for ESPN, all others having to settle for ESPN2 as its stage.
One highlight for the year though, which is not reflected in the below figures, is the 863,000 viewers who tuned into ESPN2 for the MLS All-Star game against Bayern Munich.
Another positive is found in the 10,000 viewer average increase that ESPN Deportes, a Spanish language sports channel tapping into the Hispanic market, enjoyed (32,000 in 2013 rising to 42,000 in 2014).
The strategy is relatively similar for 2015. Univision will show a Friday night game of the week, and FOX and ESPN will each show a game on Sunday nights.
Of NBCSN’s 17 Friday night showings in 2014, an average of 115,000 tuned in. NBCSN’s other games had Premier League lead-ins that bolstered their figures overall.
The Friday evening time slot is notoriously difficult to attract viewers, for there is much going on elsewhere at such times. Similarly, Sunday evenings are problematic, as the games will coincide with popular television series on other networks.
MLS agreed a new eight-year television and media rights partnerships with three US networks earlier this year. The deals, with ESPN, Fox Sports and Univisión Deportes, cover MLS and US Soccer matches in the United States until the end of 2022.
Fox Sports is returning to MLS after broadcasting its games from 2003 to 2011.
No price-tag was given for the new deal, but rumours value it at a combined $90 million a year, which would represent a significant increase on previous deals, in line with the league’s growing stature.
All three networks will televise both US men’s and women’s international matches, with ESPN and Fox Sports splitting the English-language men’s national team broadcast package of approximately 10 games per year and sharing women’s national team games.
Univisión is the exclusive Spanish language broadcaster of international fixtures, showing all US men’s games and a minimum of four women’s matches a year.
A total of more than 125 MLS matches will be televised annually on the three networks.
ESPN2 Viewership
Year Average/Game.
2006: 263,000
2007: 289,000
2008: 251,000
2009: 290,000
2010: 249,000
2011: 238,000
2012: 232,000
2013: 197,000
2014: 225 000
NBCSN Viewership
Year Average/Game
2012: 125,000
2013: 112,000
2014: 142,000
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