NBC draws second-largest audience for Premier League season
NBC, the national US network, registered its second-most-watched season in history for coverage of English soccer’s Premier League this season and set multiple viewing records.
For the 2021-22 campaign, which concluded last Sunday (May 25), NBC Sports averaged a total audience delivery (TAD) of 507,000 viewers per TV match window (includes NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and NBCSN channels), the second-best figure ever and up 21% from 414,000 last season (excludes exclusive Peacock streaming or Spanish-language broadcasts).
This year’s viewership was only bettered by the 2015-16 season.
In addition, a record 12 matches this season averaged a TAD of at least 1 million viewers - 50% above the prior record (eight in 2020-21 and 2015-16).
As in previous seasons, all 10 Premier League matches on the final day of the campaign were shown live and simultaneously across Peacock and NBCUniversal networks, matching 2019 as the most-watched season finale ever with a TAD of 2.2 million viewers across all platforms.
Manchester City’s 3-2 win over Aston Villa on NBC and Peacock drew 955,000 viewers - marking the most-watched final day match on record as they secured their second successive Premier League title.
Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, meanwhile, on USA Network was the most-watched final day cable match on record (681,000).
The Premier League will continue to be shown on NBC until the end of the 2027-28 campaign after the network renewed its rights deal for the league last November in a record-breaking agreement worth $2.7 billion.
NBC saw off strong competition from rival US networks including ViacomCBS, ESPN, and Fox to retain the rights. Its new deal will commence next season.
Meanwhile, in France, pay-TV broadcaster Canal Plus attracted its biggest audience for the climax of the Premier League.
An average of 544,000 viewers tuned in on Canal Plus and RMC Sport, which also showed the games, while the audience peaked at 740,000.
The audience was Canal Plus’ largest for a Premier League game in over seven years.
