Despite airing on an NFL Sunday, the MLS Cup was a much stronger draw than in recent years.
The Revolution/Galaxy MLS Cup drew a combined 1.9 million viewers across ESPN, UniMás and Univision Deportes Network, up 85% from last year on ESPN and UniMás (1.0M) and up 47% from 2012 on ESPN and Galavision (1.3M). This year’s match aired on an NFL Sunday; the previous two aired on a college football Saturday.
In particular, ESPN’s coverage drew 964,000 viewers — up 91% from last year’s record low (505K), up 21% from 2012 (797K), and the top English-language MLS Cup broadcast since 2011 (1.0M).
UniMás earned 678,000 for its coverage, up 31% from last year (517K), up 40% from 2012 (485K), and the most-watched MLS Cup telecast ever on the Univision family of networks. Univision Deportes Network, airing the MLS Cup for the first time, chipped in 245,000.
The substantial gains for the MLS Cup capped a successful season in the ratings. Regular season viewershipincreased on the ESPN family of networks and NBCSN, and the MLS All-Star Game earned its second-largest combined audience ever, reports Sports Media Watch.