What am I thankful for? I’m thankful for another great month of soccer on U.S. television! In October there was a spooky amount of games (250+) across 26 channels, including a mix of club and international events. Let’s dive in…
The month was sandwiched by league play around the world – from the Americas to Europe to Asia – with international friendlies and not-so-friendlies in between. In England, Liverpool and Manchester City squared off with all the pageantry of a heavyweight bout as both teams looked to separate themselves atop the table. Despite their punchless efforts, the game attracted over 1M viewers across NBCSN and Telemundo. In the UEFA Champions League, while Barcelona’s game against Tottenham was the most-watched UCL game in October, Barcelona’s Spanish rivals, Real Madrid, helped TNT to their most-watched game of the month (390K) against CSKA Moscow. Down in Mexico, Chivas played Pumas in the most-watched club match of the month (1.1M).
In the middle of the month, league play hit an impasse as international games took center stage. Stateside, the USMNT hosted Colombia and Peru, both of which landed in the top five most-watched games of the month (1.6M & 1.2M, respectively). Mexico also played host to Costa Rica (most-watched game of the month – 1.8M) and Chile (1.4M). Additionally, the USWNT stormed through CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying and the UEFA Nations League marched on.
Through league play, international games, and college soccer, October not only had a mad rush of games but a variety of teams shared in the universal dream of living in the American TV limelight. With Thanksgiving, a week away, remember that when passing the gravy boat to your friends and family, the only acceptable controversial dinner table conversation is one about soccer fandom.
Categories: Mexican National Team, Television Ratings, U.S. Soccer