Chelsea’s Uefa Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich pulled in fewer viewers for the US network Fox Sports than the 2011 final between Barcelona and Manchester United.
The English Premier League club’s dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over the German Bundesliga team on May 19 attracted a 1.1 rating and 3 per cent share, according to Nielsen Media Research. The game was seen by two million viewers, and the audience peaked at 2.4 million from 5pm-5.30pm Eastern Daylight Time.
Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Manchester United in last year’s final achieved a 1.4 rating and 4 per cent share, and was watched by 2.6 million viewers. These teams have a larger following in the US.
In other ratings news, the Fox Soccer cable network said it averaged 185,000 viewers for its 118 live Premier League games this season, a small drop on the 184,000 for 112 matches in 2010-11. Fox averaged 54,000 viewers for its 96 live Italian Serie A broadcasts this year and 53,000 for its four French Ligue 1 games. Its one live Scottish Premier League match, an Old Firm derby clash between Celtic and Rangers, attracted 86,000 viewers.