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- Audience for North Carolina v Portland up 201% on previous record
- Game draws 178,000 viewers in 18-49 age demographic
- NWSL staging one-month quarantined tournament in Utah
The opening match of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Challenge Cup on 27th June drew an average US audience of 527,000 viewers on the main CBS television network, making it the most-watched game in NWSL history.
There were 178,000 viewers in the 18 to 49 age demographic for the match, which saw the North Carolina Courage snatch a last-minute 2-1 win over the Portland Thorns.
The average audience figure for the game marks a whopping 201 per cent increase on the previous record of 190,000 viewers for a game between Portland and the Houston Dash in August 2014.
The audience was significantly more than the average 166,000 viewers that watched last year’s NWSL Championship game on pay-TV network ESPN in October.
The Challenge Cup audience was also more than the most-watched game during last year’s men’s Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season, which saw 462,000 viewers tune in to ESPN for the Seattle Sounders’ 2-1 win over Atlanta United on 14th July.
The NWSL launched the Challenge Cup at the end of May. The month-long quarantined tournament is taking place in Utah until 26th July, with new sponsorship backing from the likes of telecommunications firm Verizon, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and its Secret deodorant brand, and technology giant Google.
Eight of the NWSL’s nine teams are competing in the tournament as the Orlando Pride were forced to withdraw after six players and four staff members returned positive Covid-19 tests.
CBS, which signed a three-year domestic media rights deal with the NWSL ahead of the 2020 season, agreed to air the tournament-opener and final on its flagship commercial television channel, with all other games to be shown in the US and Canada on its CBS All Access streaming subscription service. The competition is also being streamed globally on Amazon-owned gaming platform Twitch.
The opening match of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Challenge Cup on 27th June drew an average US audience of 527,000 viewers on the main CBS television network, making it the most-watched game in NWSL history.
There were 178,000 viewers in the 18 to 49 age demographic for the match, which saw the North Carolina Courage snatch a last-minute 2-1 win over the Portland Thorns.
The average audience figure for the game marks a whopping 201 per cent increase on the previous record of 190,000 viewers for a game between Portland and the Houston Dash in August 2014.
The audience was significantly more than the average 166,000 viewers that watched last year’s NWSL Championship game on pay-TV network ESPN in October.
The Challenge Cup audience was also more than the most-watched game during last year’s men’s Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season, which saw 462,000 viewers tune in to ESPN for the Seattle Sounders’ 2-1 win over Atlanta United on 14th July.
The NWSL launched the Challenge Cup at the end of May. The month-long quarantined tournament is taking place in Utah until 26th July, with new sponsorship backing from the likes of telecommunications firm Verizon, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and its Secret deodorant brand, and technology giant Google.
Eight of the NWSL’s nine teams are competing in the tournament as the Orlando Pride were forced to withdraw after six players and four staff members returned positive Covid-19 tests.
CBS, which signed a three-year domestic media rights deal with the NWSL ahead of the 2020 season, agreed to air the tournament-opener and final on its flagship commercial television channel, with all other games to be shown in the US and Canada on its CBS All Access streaming subscription service. The competition is also being streamed globally on Amazon-owned gaming platform Twitch.
