Broadcaster Shatters Record for Most-Viewed Champions League Group Stage Ever in U.S.
Second Leg of América’s Victory over Cruz Azul Marks Year’s Most-Watched Liga MX Match
NEW YORK – DECEMBER 18, 2018 – Univision Deportes saved its best for last in 2018, ending the year with strong viewership performances from both the UEFA Champions League Group Stage and the Liga MX Gran Final. The undisputed Home of Soccer in the U.S., Univision Deportes has accounted for 53% of the country’s soccer viewership on TV during the fourth quarter of this year.
League of Its Own
Univision Deportes delivered the most-watched UEFA Champion League Group Stage round ever in the U.S., regardless of language, with its 60 linear telecasts generating a total of 695 million minutes watched and reaching 14 million Total Viewers 2+. Since the beginning of its first Champions League as UEFA’s official television partner, Univision Deportes has aired nine of the top ten Group Stage matches of all-time, led by its broadcast of Liverpool vs. Paris Saint-Germain on September 18, which delivered 672,000 Total Viewers 2+ and 338,000 Adults 18-49.
Matches airing on Univision and simulcast on UDN averaged 548,000 Total Viewers 2+ and 272,000 Adults 18-49. Across the Univision Deportes linear portfolio, the 60 matches finished with an average of 172,000 Total Viewers 2+ and 86,000 Adults 18-49. In addition to the 60 matches aired across linear networks Univision, UniMás, UDN and Galavisión on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, all 96 Group Stage contests streamed live on UnivisionDeportes.com and the Univision Deportes app.
Univision Deportes’ comprehensive coverage of the UEFA Champions League continues February 12 with the Round of 16 and runs through the Final in Madrid on June 1.
Source: Nielsen, NPM, L+SD data
Ain’t it ‘Gran?’
The decisive second leg of the Liga MX Gran Final championship series between powerhouses Club América and Cruz Azul was the most-watched Liga MX match of 2018, averaging 2.5 million Total Viewers 2+ and 1.4 million Adults 18-49 on Sunday, December 16. The 2-0 win for América to close out Liga MX’s 2018 Apertura season was the most-watched soccer match in the U.S. in 2018 outside of the FIFA World Cup. The first leg of the series, which aired Thursday, December 13, also drew a strong audience of 2.3 million Total Viewers 2+ and 1.2 million Adults 18-49.
Viewership for the historic second leg grew from the comparable Apertura final match in 2017 among Total Viewers 2+ in Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas and Chicago. Los Angelinos in particular showed their passion for the Mexican game, with each leg of the final series finishing as the No. 2 program in its respective timeslot among Total Viewers 2+ and Adults 18-49, behind only primetime NFL telecasts (Fox’s Thursday Night Football and NBC’s Sunday Night Football, respectively).
Liga MX remains the most-watched club soccer league in the U.S., regardless of language.
Visit corporate.univision.com/newco for more information on Univision, and follow @UnivisionPRTeam on Twitter and Instagram.
CONTACT: Kevin Sornatale 212.455.5259 ksornatale@univision.net
