US sports broadcaster ESPN has reported that 2011-12 was its most successful ever season of broadcasting English Premier League football in terms of audiences.
ESPN had an average audience of 321,000 for its coverage of Premier League matches in 2011-12, a seven-per-cent increase on the 301,000 average in 2010-11. On ESPN Deportes, the average audience was 58,000 in 2011-12, a four-per-cent increase on 56,000 in 2010-11.
The Premier League’s title-clinching match on May 13, the thrilling 3-2 victory by Manchester City over Queens Park Rangers, was watched on ESPN2 by 600,000 viewers, making it the third most-watched Premier League match on ESPN channels ever. An additional 189,000 viewers watched on Spanish-language channel ESPN Deportes.
ESPN’s live broadcast of the Manchester derby on April 30 – in which eventual champions Manchester City won 1-0 over city rival Manchester United – was the most-viewed match of the season with 1.033 million viewers, a US cable-television record for a Premier League match.