2015/16 was a record year for TV ratings in the United States for the EPL. Manchester City could be set to be the more watched club in the growing soccer culture.
Each year the TV coverage and ratings for the Premier League are growing in the United States. However, since NBCSports took over the TV rights the popularity has soared. Across all clubs they are averaging over 450,000 US viewers for each match, according to World Soccer Talk.
NBCSports, along with its Extra Time coverage, airs 100% of EPL games in the United States live. When multiple games are taking place at the same time, fans can switch to Extra Time bonus channels to watch their game of choice. This has not only increased the overall popularity of the league, but also given some of the smaller teams the chance to connect to new fans.
For the 15/16 EPL season Manchester United topped the US viewership average at around 636,000 per match, 28 of which were aired on NBCSports. Manchester City came in second place just under 580,000 US viewers for each of their 24 matches were aired on the network.
Arsenal topped the EPL in matches aired on NBCSports at 27 for the season. Even the lowest club, Norwich, still saw an average of 311,000 viewers for each of their matches. Every club appeared at least 8 times on the network, in addition to always being available on the bonus channels.
City into 1st this year?
For the 16/17 season Manchester City could eclipse United’s TV numbers. With the addition of Pep Guardiola they are likely to appear on the network more often. City led all clubs in appearing on the flagship network, NBC, with 6 matches during last season.
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City will hope to turn a great season into an increase in fan numbers in the US which still has massive growth appeal for EPL clubs.