Tweet
Club America-Chivas Guadalajara on March 18 drew highest U.S. TV viewership for a professional club soccer match in 13 years
March 20, 2007
The Mexican First Division Torneo Clausura regular season match between Club America of Mexico City and Chivas Guadalajara on March 18 recorded the highest U.S. television viewership for a professional club soccer match (a soccer match NOT involving national teams) in the past 13 years (since the 1994 World Cup), according to data collected by Nielsen Media Research as part of the Nielsen Television Index (NTI) national general market television rating system.
The Club America-Chivas Guadalajara match, dubbed the superclasico because the match pitted the two biggest professional soccer clubs in Mexico, drew 4.3 million U.S. TV viewers age 2 and over when it aired live in the U.S. on Univision on Sunday March 18 at 10pm Eastern/7pm Pacific.
The viewership of the match on March 18 exceeded the 3.956 million U.S. TV viewers age 2 and over who tuned in the last time the two Mexican League rivals clashed in a semifinal match televised live on Univision on Sunday December 10, 2006 at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific.
Not only did the viewership of the superclasico on March 18 surpassed the viewership of any other professional club soccer match on U.S. television (including both Major League Soccer and the Mexican First Division) in the past 13 years, the U.S. TV viewership of the match surpassed the U.S. TV viewership of every National Hockey League (NHL) telecast on both NBC and Versus (formerly OLN) during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 NHL seasons with the exception of Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final series between Carolina and Edmonton, which aired on NBC and drew 5.45 million viewers age 2 and over.
The viewership of the superclasico serves as a reminder of the effect of the immigration of Mexicans to the U.S. primarily in search of economic opportunities. Mexicans living in the U.S. have reminded the sports and media industries in the U.S. once again that they want to watch their teams.
The defunct North American Soccer League (NASL), which folded in 1984, averaged about 2 million households and just under 4 million viewers on ABC on Sunday afternoons during the 1979 season, before the launch of cable sports TV powerhouse ESPN.
March 20, 2007
The Mexican First Division Torneo Clausura regular season match between Club America of Mexico City and Chivas Guadalajara on March 18 recorded the highest U.S. television viewership for a professional club soccer match (a soccer match NOT involving national teams) in the past 13 years (since the 1994 World Cup), according to data collected by Nielsen Media Research as part of the Nielsen Television Index (NTI) national general market television rating system.
The Club America-Chivas Guadalajara match, dubbed the superclasico because the match pitted the two biggest professional soccer clubs in Mexico, drew 4.3 million U.S. TV viewers age 2 and over when it aired live in the U.S. on Univision on Sunday March 18 at 10pm Eastern/7pm Pacific.
The viewership of the match on March 18 exceeded the 3.956 million U.S. TV viewers age 2 and over who tuned in the last time the two Mexican League rivals clashed in a semifinal match televised live on Univision on Sunday December 10, 2006 at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific.
Not only did the viewership of the superclasico on March 18 surpassed the viewership of any other professional club soccer match on U.S. television (including both Major League Soccer and the Mexican First Division) in the past 13 years, the U.S. TV viewership of the match surpassed the U.S. TV viewership of every National Hockey League (NHL) telecast on both NBC and Versus (formerly OLN) during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 NHL seasons with the exception of Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final series between Carolina and Edmonton, which aired on NBC and drew 5.45 million viewers age 2 and over.
The viewership of the superclasico serves as a reminder of the effect of the immigration of Mexicans to the U.S. primarily in search of economic opportunities. Mexicans living in the U.S. have reminded the sports and media industries in the U.S. once again that they want to watch their teams.
The defunct North American Soccer League (NASL), which folded in 1984, averaged about 2 million households and just under 4 million viewers on ABC on Sunday afternoons during the 1979 season, before the launch of cable sports TV powerhouse ESPN.