Record 39.3 Million Americans Watched NBC Sports' Presentation of the Premier League in 2017-18
By: Tori Hartshorn May. 17, 2018
A record 39.3 million Americans watched NBC Sports' presentation of the Premier League on the networks of NBCUniversal in 2017-18, a season which featured the studio show on the road for the first time on an opening weekend; Manchester City's record-breaking win streak on the road to an unprecedented 100-point, championship campaign; and the development of a wide range of products, shows and events to bring U.S. fans closer to the game.
The record reach of 39.3 million total viewers for the 2017-18 Premier League season - which concluded on Sunday, May 13 - marks an increase of 14% over last season (34.5 million), according to live plus same day data released by Nielsen.
Premier League Viewership Highlights
- NBC Sports Group's presentation of Manchester United's 3-2 victory over Manchester City in the Manchester Derby on Saturday, April 7, averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.72 million viewers across all platforms - NBC, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, and Telemundo - to rank as the most-watched Premier League match in U.S. history.
- NBC Sports Group averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 449,000 viewers per match window across - up from last season (447,000), according to live plus same day data from Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics (does not include Spanish-language telecasts or NBC Sports Gold streaming).
- NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app delivered a record 4.0 million uniques and 740 million live minutes, second-most all-time, during the 2017-18 season. In addition, five of the 10 most-streamed Premier League matches in the U.S. took place in 2017-18.
- Since kicking off its Premier League coverage in August 2013, NBC Sports Group has televised the 10 most-watched live Premier League matches ever in the U.S. across all platforms.
Local TV Ratings
Following are the U.S. TV markets with the highest average season-long ratings on Premier League telecasts on NBC/NBCSN, and NBC only (note: all NBC games, other than on "Championship Sunday," started at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT or later, while some NBCSN games kicked off as early as 7 am ET/4 am PT):
Top 10 Local Market Ratings, NBC/NBCSN
| 1. Baltimore |
| T2. Washington, DC |
| T2. Richmond |
| 4. Providence |
| T5. Austin |
| T5. Norfolk |
| 7. Dallas |
| 8. Hartford |
| 9. Kansas City |
| 10. Raleigh |
Top 10 Local Market Ratings, NBC only
| T1. New Orleans |
| T1. Providence |
| 3. Richmond |
| 4. Sacramento |
| 5. Austin |
| T6. Baltimore |
| T6. Cincinnati |
| T8. Norfolk |
| T8. Washington, DC |
| 10. Memphis |
Throughout the season, NBC Sports rolled out a wide-range of innovations, allowing viewers to enjoy the game in more ways and on more platforms than ever before. Among the highlights:
- ROAD TRIP TO KICK OFF THE SEASON: For the first time, NBC Sports' U.S.-based Premier League team opened the season on the road, as the entire announce team worked together on-location in the United Kingdom for the kickoff of the season. Immersive Premier League coverage was presented on-site from the U.K. from three different grounds, featuring on-site studios for pre-match, halftime and post-game shows as well as pitch-side locations just a few feet from the playing field.
- "PREMIER LEAGUE MORNINGS FAN FESTIVAL:" NBC Sports brought "Premier League Mornings" to life with its "Premier League Mornings Fan Festival" in New York City. The PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE telecast originated from the event throughout the day. The fan festival was scheduled on Thanksgiving weekend as a thank you to loyal Premier League viewers, and included supporters of many clubs, a turf pitch, match-viewing areas, a special glimpse at the Premier League trophy before it is handed off to this season's champions, Chelsea Legends, youth coaches, and the club's mascot. In addition, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg joined the telecast from the Fan Festival, and appeared on NBC Sports' Premier League coverage later in the season.
- NBC SPORTS GOLD'S "PREMIER LEAGUE PASS:" NBC Sports Gold - NBC Sports Digital's direct-to-consumer live streaming product - launched a content-rich "Premier League Pass" offering, which featured 130 exclusive Premier League matches live and on-demand, an extensive suite of daily and weekly news shows, plus classic archive programming never available before in the U.S. "Premier League Pass" featured more than 1,000 hours of additional Premier League programs and news shows throughout the season.
- PREMIER LEAGUE "PUNDITS EXCHANGE:" In its first-ever Premier League "pundits exchange," NBC Sports flipped the script, sending Premier League studio analysts Robbie Earle, Kyle Martino, and Robbie Mustoe across the pond to the U.K. for live match coverage, while welcoming Lee Dixon and Graeme Le Saux to its International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., for live studio coverage.
- "THIS IS FOOTBALL:" NBC Sports debuted This is Football, a Premier League series hosted by Joe Scarborough, co-host of MSNBC's MORNING JOE and a longtime Premier League fan. In the series, Scarborough took viewers inside the history, tradition and rivalries between Premier League clubs and their supporters.
- "PROMOTED:" NBC Sports debuted a special three-part series PROMOTED Presented by Volkswagen, hosted by Roger Bennett of The Men in Blazers. Bennett traveled to the U.K. to visit with managers and players to tell the stories of the three PROMOTED clubs. In addition, Michael Daviesand Bennett created more than 20 new episodes of The Men in Blazersduring the season.
- ARLO WHITE & LEE DIXON CALL "DOUBLE DERBY DAY" ACTION:Lead play-by-play commentator Arlo White and analyst Lee Dixon called both "Double Derby Day" matches - Everton v. Liverpool and Manchester City v. Manchester United - on Saturday, April 7, traveling from Liverpool to Manchester between matches.
- 500 EPISODES OF PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE: On Wednesday, May 9, NBC Sports celebrated the 500th airing of PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE since kicking off coverage on August 17, 2013. Rebecca Lowe hosted PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE throughout the season, joined by a combination of Robbie Mustoe, Robbie Earle and Kyle Martino.
- "PREMIER LEAGUE DOWNLOAD:" NBC Sports Group featured compelling stories from Premier League clubs, players, managers, and fans in its PREMIER LEAGUE DOWNLOAD series. Highlights included The CHAMPIONS - Manchester City: Pep's Pursuit of Perfection, an in-depth look at Manchester City's two seasons under Pep Guardiola, including their historic 2017-18 title-winning campaign; and Inside the Mind of David Wagner, a profile of Wagner and THE JOURNEY that led him to Huddersfield Town.
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