The week of Tuesday, Oct. 6 through Monday, Oct. 12, will go down as one of the least eventful weeks of 2020 when it comes down to soccer viewership in the United States.

International breaks are not usually a fan favorite, especially during times of COVID-19. No club soccer other than the Major League Soccer has a major impact on soccer TV viewership around the U.S., and more so when the NBA Finals, MLB playoffs and NFL are all in full flight.

No Liga MX meant low numbers for Spanish-language television channel TUDN, which usually makes up most of the viewership and soccer broadcasts on U.S. TV. TUDN screened five live games and two replays, amassing to 1,204,000 total viewers and an average of 172,000 viewers per broadcast. An international friendly on Wednesday, Oct. 7, between the Netherlands and Mexico, which ended 1-0 in favor of “El Tri”, was the most-watched game of the week across all networks and channels. The broadcast started at 2:30 p.m. ET and attracted 263,000 viewers, earning a 0.10 viewership rating. The game was replayed later that day and on Sunday, Oct. 10, drawing a combined 304,000 viewers.

The only other channel that screened more than one soccer game on U.S. TV last week was ESPN. On Sunday, Oct. 11, ESPN televised a UEFA Nations League match between Portugal and France and an MLS game between LAFC and the Seattle Sounders. The replay of the 2016 UEFA Euro 2016 final ended in a 0-0 draw drew a total of 181,000 viewers and received a 0.06 viewership rating. On the other hand, Los Angeles FC defeated Western Conference leaders, the Seattle Sounders, 3-1 and attracted 173,000 viewers, which is a solid number given that the broadcast was competing with Sunday Night Football at 7 p.m. ET. 

Only two other broadcasts made it to the Showbuzzdaily's top 150 cable originals and network finals last week. ESPN2 also broadcasted the friendly between the Netherlands and Mexico and received a 0.05 after drawing 124,000 viewers to their broadcast. Lastly, NBCSN’s broadcast of the FA Women’s Super League’s game between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, which ended 1-0 in favor of the Red Devils, was the least-watched game in the U.S. at 77,000 viewers.

TUDN - 7 games - Total views: 1,204,000 - Average viewers: 172,000

Wednesday, Oct. 7

International friendly: Netherlands 0-1 Mexico at 2:30 p.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.10
  • Total viewership: 263,000

International friendly (replay): Netherlands 0-1 Mexico at 9 p.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.07
  • Total viewership: 176,000

Saturday, Oct. 10

UEFA Nations League: Spain 1-0 Switzerland at 2:30 p.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.06
  • Total viewership: 165,000

Major League Soccer: Inter Miami 1-0 Houston Dynamo at 4:48 p.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.04
  • Total viewership: 90,000

International friendly (replay): Netherlands 0-1 Mexico at 6:52 p.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.03
  • Total viewership: 128,000

Sunday, Oct. 11

UEFA Nations League: England 2-1 Belgium at 11:50 a.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.07
  • Total viewership: 176,000

UEFA Nations League: France 0-0 Portugal at 2:30 p.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.08
  • Total viewership: 206,000

ESPN - 2 games - Total views: 354,000 - Average viewers: 177,000

Sunday, Oct. 11

UEFA Nations League: France 0-0 Portugal at 2:30 p.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.06
  • Total viewership: 181,000

Major League Soccer: LAFC 3-1 Seattle Sounders at 7 p.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.06
  • Total viewership: 173,000

ESPN2 - 1 game - Total views: 124,000

Wednesday, Oct. 7

International friendly: Netherlands 0-1 Mexico at 2:30 p.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.05
  • Total viewership: 124,000

NBC Sports Network - 1 game - Total views: 77,000

Saturday, Oct. 10

FA Women’s Super League: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester United at 7:30 a.m. ET

  • Viewership rating: 0.03
  • Total viewership: 77,000

Projected top-3 audience games in the U.S. Oct. 13-19

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Everton 2 - 2 Liverpool

October 17, 2020 7:30amGoodison Park (Liverpool)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

Live TV coverage and streaming in United States

fuboTV
nbcsports.com
NBC Sports App
UNIVERSO
UNIVERSO NOW
Telemundo Deportes En Vivo

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Manchester City 1 - 0 Arsenal

October 17, 2020 12:30pmEtihad Stadium (Manchester)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

Live TV coverage and streaming in United States

NBC USA
fuboTV
nbcsports.com
NBC Sports App
UNIVERSO
UNIVERSO NOW
Telemundo Deportes En Vivo
arsenal.com

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Cruz Azul 0 - 2 Tigres UANL

October 17, 2020 10:00pmEstadio Azteca (Ciudad de México (D.F.))

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

Live TV coverage and streaming in United States

fuboTV
TUDN USA
Univision USA
TUDN.com
Univision NOW
TUDN App