FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 1st, 2023

NBC SPORTS COMPLETES FIRST DECADE AS EXCLUSIVE U.S. HOME OF PREMIER LEAGUE, HIGHLIGHTED BY AUTHENTIC, INNOVATIVE COVERAGE & RECORD AUDIENCES

NBC Sports Registers Second Most-Watched Premier League Season Ever in 2022-23; Delivers Two Most-Watched Premier League Matches in U.S. TV History in 2023

Peacock Sets Live Streaming Records; Four Peacock-Exclusive Matches Top 750,000 Viewers

NBC Sports Brings Fans Closer to Premier League with Ground-Breaking Programming & In-Person Interaction

STAMFORD, Conn. — June 1, 2023 – Presenting the emotional and dramatic “Championship Sunday” this past weekend, NBC Sports concluded its 10th season as the exclusive U.S. media home of the Premier League, a decade marked by authentic coverage, production innovations and record-setting viewership…and there’s at least five more seasons ahead!

Kicking off in August 2013, NBC Sports has helped the league reach U.S.-based supporters in traditional (across the television networks of NBCUniversal), new (live streamed on Peacock, in-person at Premier League Mornings Live fan festivals, via club logo- and kit-wrapped taxis and subways in New York City), and unquestionably entertaining…and often hilarious (Ted Lasso promotional spots, “The Men in Blazers Show,” “The 2 Robbies” and “The Lowe Down” podcasts) ways.

It all began on NBCSN, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013, at 7 a.m. ET:

Opening Montage (narrated): “By the time the first whistle blows today, all across England, hundreds of thousands have already been singing, singing from Wales to East Anglia, Tyneside to London, in Merseyside and Manchester. They’ve been at it since dawn, from the tube to the pubs, from the car park to the pitch, swaying in the creaking stands, chanting for their lads. And though their throats may be raw and their faces flushed, from August to May, these chants run through their veins and vocal chords as faith. Welcome to the new home of the Premier League.”

Rebecca Lowe: “The opening weekend has arrived… Welcome to Premier League Live, we are coming to you live this morning from our International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. It’s a big day for everyone here. For the next nine months, we will be your home for exclusive coverage of Barclays Premier League. The new season has at last arrived and we will cover every angle of the opening weekend and bring you all 10 matches live… An exciting weekend ahead.”

In the ensuing decade, NBC Sports has presented all 3,800 Premier League matches…concluding the most recent season with the studio team of host Rebecca Lowe, and analysts Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe, and Tim Howard, live on-location for the memorable scenes at Everton’s Goodison Park (with Peter Drury, Lee Dixon, and Graeme Le Saux in the gantry). Viewers turned out in big numbers throughout, setting records along the way…

In 2022-23, NBC Sports averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 527,000 viewers per TV match window* – marking the second most-watched Premier League season ever in the U.S. (behind only 2015-16) and up 3% from last season (510,000).

*For comparative purposes, the top Peacock game in the 10 a.m. ET Saturday multi-match TV window has been included in TAD, corresponding with the 27 Saturdays in the 2021-22 season where two matches were simultaneously televised on cable networks.

Viewership highlights from the 2022-23 Premier League season:

    • Since kicking off its Premier League coverage in August 2013, NBC Sports has presented 47 of the 50 most-watched live Premier League matches ever in the U.S. across all platforms.
    • Nine matches averaged a TAD of at least 1 million viewers this season – second most in NBC Sports’ 10 seasons presenting the Premier League.
    • In a two-week span this winter, NBC Sports delivered the two most-watched Premier League matches in U.S. TV history:
    • Arsenal’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Manchester United on Sunday, Jan. 22, topped the all-time charts with a record-setting 1.9 million viewers across NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports Digital platforms. Led by Peacock, the match also set a record for a simulstreamed Premier League match, with an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 510,000 viewers.
    • Two weeks later, on Sunday, Feb. 5, Tottenham-Manchester City, highlighted by Harry Kane’s Spurs club record 267th goal, averaged 1.5 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital – ranking No. 2 all-time.
    • In its third season with exclusive and extensive Premier League content, Peacock live streamed four exclusive matches with more than 750,000 viewers, two of which topped 800,000 viewers (AMA).
    • Peacock’s exclusive presentation of Liverpool-Arsenal on Sunday, April 9, averaged 833,000 viewers, the largest streaming audience ever for a Premier League match in the U.S.
    • Viewers watched a record 17.7 BILLION live match minutes (nearly 300 million hours) this season across all platforms (NBC, Peacock, USA Network, Telemundo, Universo, “Championship Sunday” networks, and NBC Sports Digital), up 9% from the prior record set last season (16.3 billion).
    • The NBC Sports Soccer accounts across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram finished the 2022-23 season with record consumption, as video views jumped 172% from last year, engagement increased 89%, and impressions were up 35%.
    • The NBC Sports YouTube channel finished the 2022-23 Premier League season with a record of more than 230 million views (up 20% from last year) and 1.7 billion minutes watched (up 30%).
    • NBC Sports Digital’s top 25 goals of the 2022-23 Premier League season — featuring Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure’s goal to avoid relegation, Julio Enciso’s strike for Brighton, and more – is available now. Click here to watch.

 

Following is a look at innovations and highlights from NBC Sports’ coverage of the Premier League over the past decade:

Television & Streaming

    • NBC Sports’ inaugural 2013-14 Premier League season marked the first time that all 380 matches were presented live in the U.S.
    • Weekly Premier League match coverage on USA Network was added during the 2015-16 season…USA Network became the cable home of the Premier League in 2022.
    • In December 2015, NBC hosted the first ever Premier League doubleheader on a U.S. broadcast network, featuring Newcastle v. Everton and Southampton v. Arsenal back-to-back.
    • On June 20, 2020, the Bournemouth-Crystal Palace match became the first live sporting event presented on Peacock. Three weeks later, to celebrate Peacock’s national launch on July 15, NBC Sports’ full six hours of Premier League coverage was presented free on the platform.
    • The 2020-21 season marked Peacock’s first full season of NBC Sports’ Premier League coverage, featuring 175 live matches, studio shows and replays. For the first time ever, U.S. viewers had access to the Premier League TV channel on Peacock.
    • In February 2021, Telemundo Deportes’ Andres Cantorand Manuel Sol called the first-ever live Spanish language sporting event on Peacock (Arsenal-Manchester City).
    • The Goal Rush whip-around show, debuted digitally in the U.S. in 2016, became a popular offering on Peacock during select multi-match windows, providing viewers the most compelling action in real time and on replay so they don’t miss a single goal or key play.

 

Spanish

    • Miami-based Telemundo Deportes is the exclusive Spanish language home of the Premier League in the U.S., presenting more live matches in Spanish than ever across Telemundo, Universo and Peacock.
    • In February 2020, as part of the Premier League’s first “winter break” (one matchweek over a 10-day stretch, providing each club with a week off), Telemundo Deportes presented all matches in Spanish on Telemundo, Universo, or digitally – marking the first time an entire 10-game matchweek was presented in Spanish in the U.S.

 

“Taking the Show on the Road”

    • The Premier League and NBC Sports have together presented Premier League Mornings Live fan fests in an ongoing commitment to bring unique experiences to supporters through direct outreach to passionate fans across the United States.

 

Nine Premier League Mornings Live fan fests held in Washington, D.C., New York (twice), Boston, Austin, Miami Beach, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Orlando have welcomed more than 60,000 supporters.

As part of Fan Fests and other special events, NBC Sports’ Premier League team has taken the studio show on the road to many iconic events and venues in the U.S.:

Date Historic Event or Venue
Feb. 2015 Super Bowl XLIX
Nov. 2017 South Street Seaport (New York, N.Y.)
Sept. 2018 National Mall (Washington, D.C.)
Mar. 2019 Fenway Park (Boston, Mass.)
Dec. 2019 South Beach (Miami, Fla.)
Oct. 2021 Los Angeles Coliseum
Feb. 2022 Super Bowl LVI
May 2022 Churchill Downs, 148th Kentucky Derby
Oct. 2022 City Hall (Philadelphia)
Jan. 2023 Universal Orlando

 

    • NBC Sports’ studio team has also traveled to 18 Premier League grounds for live on-site shows – featuring pitch-side desks and post-match player and coach interviews.

 

Date Club(s) On-Site
Apr. 2015 Burnley, Liverpool. Manchester United
Apr. 2016 Chelsea, Leicester City, Stoke City
Apr. 2017 Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Tottenham
Aug. 2017 Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester United
Aug. 2018 Arsenal, Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Aug. 2019 Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham
Apr. 2022 Aston Villa, Manchester City, Newcastle
May 2022 Manchester City
Dec. 2022 Arsenal, Leeds United, Manchester United
May 2023 Everton

 

Innovations & Special Programming

    • NBC Sports teamed with the Premier League, Premier League clubs, and Sky Sports to present unique series, telling some of the game’s most compelling stories:
      • Inside the Mind: Hosted by NBC Sports’ Premier League commentators, interview series featured one-on-one chats with the Premier League’s top players and coaches.
      • Promoted: An in-depth look at newly-promoted clubs heading into the season.
      • Premier League Download: Featuring compelling stories from Premier League clubs, players, managers, and fans.
      • This is Football: A Premier League series hosted by Joe Scarborough, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and a longtime Premier League fan, taking viewers inside the history, tradition and rivalries of Premier League clubs and their supporters.
      • Behind the Badge: An unprecedented mid-season, behind-the-scenes look at a Premier League club, debuted with Premier LeagueBehind the Badge: Crystal Palace FC in January 2016
    • THE MEN IN BLAZERS SHOW, hosted by popular soccer personalities Roger Bennett and Michael Davies featuring big-name guests, completed its ninth season with NBC Sports on Sunday.
    • As news broke throughout the 2019-20 season, NBC Sports’ Premier League commentators spoke on race and sports, beginning on Oct. 19 as Rebecca Lowe and Robbie Earle discussed racist chants during a Bulgaria-England match. On Dec. 8, Lowe, Earle and Robbie Mustoe talked about reports of racist abuse from the prior day’s Manchester Derby. Poynter.org the next day called it “an honest discussion about racism in soccer in a rather strong segment during the network’s Premier League coverage.”
    • NBC Sports launched the “coaching career” of Ted Lasso in a series of promotional spots ahead of the 2013-14 and 2014-15 Premier League seasons.
    • The 2 Robbies Podcast: Robbie Mustoe and Robbie Earle discuss and dissect the top Premier League storylines after every match week. The podcast delivered record highs in downloads per episode this season, and recorded three of the most downloaded episodes in the podcast’s history.
    • The Lowe Down Podcast: Each week, Rebecca Lowe recaps the latest Premier League highlights and answers some tough questions from the NBC Sports Premier League team.
    • Premier League Data Zone, an enhanced data-driven viewing experience featuring live on-screen statistics and real-time player tracking, debuted in the 2022-23 season.
    • NBC Sports’ on-site production of the Sept. 19, 2021, Tottenham-Chelsea match supported the zero carbon (#GameZero) initiative by Sky Sports and Tottenham, streamlining production personnel at the grounds, and utilizing electrical and bicycle transport to the match for on-air and production staff.
    • In Aug. 2014, the Tactical Cam, a high-sideline camera showing all 22 players on the pitch at the same time — enabling fans to see formations and evaluate each team’s attacking and defending tactics — was introduced.

 

Local TV Ratings

Following are the U.S. TV markets with the highest average season-long ratings on Premier League telecasts on NBC/USA Network:

Top 15 Local Market Ratings, NBC/USA

1. Richmond
T2. Washington, DC
T2. Cincinnati
4. Norfolk
5. Philadelphia
6. West Palm Beach
7. Raleigh
8. Providence
T9. San Diego
T9. New York
T11. Hartford
T11. San Francisco
T11. Austin
T14. St. Louis
T14. Orlando

 

Next month, Peacock and NBC Sports will serve as the exclusive U.S. media home of the Premier League Summer Series — the first ever Premier League-hosted preseason tournament in the United States — featuring nine live matches across nine days beginning Sat., July 22.

The 2023-24 Premier League season kicks off on the weekend of August 12-13 on the networks of NBCUniversal and Peacock.

–NBC Sports–