MLS and NBC: A New Dawn for TV Partnership and TV Ratings

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

Wasn't it on ABC? I thought NBC didn't air the NBA anymore.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

ABC, my bad. Showing my age. To me, the NBA will always be on NBC with Marv and the Czar of the Telestrator.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

I think they're on TNT now.

also there's this: MLS Debut On NBC Sports Nets Only 82K Viewers

Versus needs a Sportscenter.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=622225&navid=DL|STL|home



I have seen so many disparaging remarks in this forum about the NHL vs MLS.


This isn't the only huge record breaking story locally in the NHL this year. Or in recent years. The NHL is seeing somewhat of a local tv ratings boom.

Those are some massive local ratings. I hope the Wings and Blues play in the playoffs they will both pull 10-20 for each game. 15-30 if it was in the later rounds.

Those damn Canadians love their hockey and soccer.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

They'll most likely bid for the NBA the next time the rights are available. NBCSN would love to air NBA games.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

I bet they prefer NFL games.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

Also this channel is not available on Dish network and Directv spanish packages...so most latino soccer fans were not able to watch this game

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

Some MLS teams also are starting to get decent local ratings. Seattle/Portland both regularly get 3.0+ local ratings for regular season games. Union I think is now averaging 1.0 (which is huge for them). Lots of MLS teams are seeing big increases in local ratings (Union, SKC, RSL, etc...)

Ironically, LA and NY seem to be slacking. LA's local ratings are a complete joke considering they are one of the most famous MLS teams. They got a 1.5 for the MLS cup final locally. Seattle gets at least double that viewership for a regular season game.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

See, that's how old I am.

I'm going to go watch Mizlou now.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

On the one hand, I should have qualified my statements by saying SOME massive ratings relative to local areas, St Louis isn't the greatest example, try Philly or Boston or Pittsburgh or Detroit. And admittedly those are for teams that are regularly playoff contenders.

NHL ratings are big in certain markets, try sports media watch dot com or puck the media for some local hockey numbers, they'll back up what I say.

On the other hand, I am truly sorry to anyone who takes offense, but some soccer buffs REALLY need to chill out if someone says something that even SEEMS negative about MLS. I frankly don't care anymore if I piss someone off for something like this, I mean we are nerding about friggin neilsen ratings, chill out. And it doesn't change the fact that in comparison to many major programming slots, MLS has tiny numbers.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

.....and the theme music by John Tesh

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

I'm sure they do. I really hope NBC Sports Group wins the rights to MLB when the current contracts with TBS and FOX expire in 2013. I can see NBCSN showing regular season games then NBC airing post-season games.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

Sunday's MLS broadcast on NBCSN (PHI-COL) averaged 124K audience, up 51% from last week. (Grant Wahl twitter update)

The game peaked at 211K viewers between 5:30-5:45 pm according to NBC PR...

This means the first game was anomaly. I don't like the 3:00 PM Sunday afternoon slot. I would be very interested to see the ratings for marquee primetime matches.

What will happen when the games is preceded by a good content? It will definitely improve the ratings. So, this summer could be very interesting for MLS on NBCsports with the Olympic hoopla in the mix.

This is much better case for MLS because NBCsports replaced Fox Soccer. We are already doubling on those averages on Fox Soccer. The averages will go up as the season progresses. Perhaps, the 82K will be the lowest rating of the season.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

Actually, the match window averaged 145K Viewers...The 124K was for the 2 1/2 hour window including pre-match and post-match segments....

We already know that the 2nd game was up substantially over the 1st game (145K average for the match-window, and 211K peaking in the last 15 minutes)...The good news is that MLS can be seen by more viewers vs. Fox Soccer. I would have been very disappointed if the ratings would have fallen further on NBCSports. But, during the season, we are going to see up and down ratings. I think the 82K viewers will probably be the at the lower end of the spectrum (we might see a game that might fall as low as 75K), but most of the games should average over 100K, with some reaching as high 200k-250K.

During the Summer Olympics, we might even get a game or two that might register around 0.3-0.4 rating (reaching 450K+-600k viewers). As more viewers become acclimated with NBCSports network, our ratings could stabilize around 250k-300K towards the end of the season.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

Isn't Versus/NBCSN already in 80 million homes? That's nothing to sneeze at. ESPN is only in 20 million more. And FSC is still in the 30 million range.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

Wasn't the WUSA an 0.42 for its opener back in 2001?

Agreed. Credit the crews for better sound than Comcast Sports Net games, but I am not feeling Arlo White as PBP guy.

And Kyle Martino is becoming the Birmingham of soccer broadcasting. And I don't mean Birmingham City -- any gridiron football league that has ever had Birmingham as a member (WFL, WLAF, USFL, XFL) has collapsed (and the CFL barely survived its U.S. expansion in 1995).

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

WUSA could not hold the rating from opening Saturday, slipping to an 0.2% household rating by the 3rd weekend of April 2001. Turner Sports finished the 2001 season before exercising an escape clause in the TV deal.

Oxygen Network tried to land WUSA by offering free TV time, but WUSA rejected the deal because Oxygen only reached 30 million households in 2002.

Instead, WUSA bought time on PAX TV and lied to a Bloomberg News reporter by claiming that PAX TV paid a rights fee. PAX TV had a strict policy of all-time-buy, all-the-time.

WUSA's opener in 2002 on PAX TV (now ION TV) drew an 0.095% household rating when it attempted to go head-to-head in the same time slot (Saturday 4pm ET) as MLS on ESPN2. By mother's day weekend, WUSA on PAX fell to a pathetic 0.03% households rating. WUSA on PAX TV eventually recovered over the summer to average around 0.1% for the season.

Bottom line: even though WUSA failed after 3 seasons, the first investor (Comcast) bailed out after just 1 (the Philly franchise played an exhibition game at the Rose Bowl and toured Home Depot Center in an attempt to sell itself to AEG, but that was unsuccessful.) More investors bailed after season 2 (notably Time Warner Cable.) By the time Season 3 started, 5 teams out of 8 were for sale.

--

Interestingly, WPS suffered the same fate even though the losses were not as spectacular (WUSA was at least $100 million in the hole before the first ball was kicked.)

AEG was the first major investor to bail from WPS after season 1 (by folding the LA franchise, which won the championship with Marta,) and more followed.

WPS still spent more money that it could take in from the sponsors and the gate receipts. It could not stop the bleeding no matter who was in charge.

The 3rd season of WPS was a running joke with the magicjack side show all season.

--

Suffice to say we won't see a Division I women's league in the U.S. for another decade at the earliest. Two attempts, two implosions.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

heh reminds me of the Ted McGinley excuse on the original jumptheshark.com

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

God I miss that site

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

I just tried to get jumptheshark.com from the Internet Archive Wayback machine. Apparently it's been blocked by TV Guide.com who I assume bought the URL and the associated content.

Muphuggers.

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

For a million dollars!

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

there's a site called BoneTheFish.com that purports to be a replacement, but it's not the same.

Back on topic - any NBC/MLS ratings news for this week?

Re: MLS opener on NBCSN - 82K viewers 2+; 0.07% household rating

Ted McGinley. Kyle Martino.

Yep, sounds about right.