NBC's Premier League viewership sees 21% increase from last season

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — NBC Sports averaged 507,000 viewers per match window for its Premier League coverage, making this the second-most watched season since the network began airing games in August 2013.

Not only was the season the most watched since 2015-16, it also saw a 21% increase over last season's average of 414,000. The average includes games on NBC, USA Network, CNBC and NBCSN before it was shuttered late last year.

Championship Sunday on five NBCUniversal networks and the Peacock streaming service averaged 2.2 million viewers. Manchester City's 3-2 comeback victory over Aston Villa averaged 955,000 viewers, making it the most watched Championship Sunday match on record.

With 93 points on the season, Manchester City won its fourth league title in five years by one point over Liverpool.

Liverpool's 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wolves on USA Network averaged 681,000 for the most viewed final Sunday match on cable.

A record 12 matches this season averaged 1 million viewers or more, breaking the previous Premier League mark of eight.

The Aug. 28, 2021, match between Liverpool and Chelsea averaged 1.4 million viewers, making it the most watched Premier League match in U.S. history. The April 10 match between Manchester City and Liverpool averaged 1.1 million on USA Network for the second-most watched cable match in U.S. history.

This was the final season of NBC’s current six-year, $1.1 billion agreement with the Premier League. NBC won the rights to a six-year, $2.7 billion contract in November that kicks in when next season opens the weekend of Aug. 6-7.

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