FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 21st, 2016

SUNDAY’S MAN CITY-MAN UNITED PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH ON NBC IS MOST-WATCHED MANCHESTER DERBY EVER IN U.S.

Arlo White & Steve Bower to Host Premier League Live For Balance of Season, Filling in For Rebecca Lowe

Manchester United’s 1-0 Win over Manchester City Averaged 1.17 Million Viewers

Match Also Most-Streamed NBC Premier League Game on NBC Sports Live Extra with 4.4 Million Minutes

STAMFORD, Conn. – March 21, 2016 – NBC’s broadcast of Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City yesterday (March 20), averaged 1.17 million viewers to rank as the most-watched Manchester Derby in U.S. history, according to fast national data provided by The Nielsen Company. The match – the 171st installment of the crosstown rivalry – featured a 16th-minute goal from 18-year old Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.

Also yesterday on NBC, Premier League Live host Rebecca Lowe signed off for the season as she will be out on maternity leave.

NBC Sports Group’s lead Premier League play-by-play voice Arlo White will cross the pond to host Premier League Live for the next two match weeks (April 2-3 and April 9-10) from the NBC Sports Group International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.  Veteran Premier League host and play-by-play announcer Steve Bower will then host the show for the remainder of the season, which concludes on Championship Sunday, May 15.

Since kicking off its Premier League coverage in August 2013, NBC Sports Group has televised eight of the 10 most-watched live PL telecasts ever in the U.S.

In addition, more than 4.4 million live minutes of the Manchester Derby were streamed via NBC Sports Live Extra — ranking as the most-streamed Premier League match among those televised on the NBC broadcast network. To date, the 2015-16 Premier League season has totaled 2.1 million unique users and 462 million live minutes on NBC Sports Live Extra, up 19% and 65% respectively compared to the same point last season.

Most-Watched Live Premier League Matches in U.S. History

Following are the 10 most-watched live Premier League matches in U.S. television history:

Date Match Network Viewers
11/22/2014 Man United-Arsenal NBC 1.41 million
2/5/2012 Chelsea-Man United FOX 1.38 million
1/31/2015 Chelsea-Man City NBC 1.35 million
10/26/2014 Man United-Chelsea NBC 1.29 million
1/22/2012 Man United-Arsenal FOX 1.26 million
9/12/2015 Man United-Liverpool NBC 1.25 million
2/8/2014 Cardiff-Swansea City NBC 1.24 million
3/20/2016 Man City-Man United NBC 1.17 million
1/23/2016 West Ham-Man City NBC 1.16 million
10/24/2015 Everton-Arsenal NBC 1.15 million

—NBC SPORTS GROUP–