ESPN’s audience for the MLS Cup Playoffs is up 36 percent.
The four single-elimination playoff matches on ESPN and ESPN2 delivered an average audience of 388,000 viewers, up from 286,000 viewers for seven playoff matches on the same networks in 2018, according to Nielsen. It is ESPN’s most-viewed MLS Cup Playoffs since 2012 (392,000 viewers).
Tuesday night’s MLS Western Conference Final on ESPN, a 3-1 Seattle Sounders road victory over LAFC, averaged 389,000 viewers (P2+) a seven percent increase year-over-year. In 2018, the second leg of the Sporting Kansas City-Portland Timbers Western Conference Final averaged 363,000 viewers.
On ESPN Deportes, LAFC-Seattle Sounders averaged 272,000 viewers, making it the most-watched MLS Conference Final match and the second most-viewed MLS match on the 24-hour Spanish-language sports network. A week ago, the LAFC-LA Galaxy Western Conference semifinal scored the network’s most-watched MLS match ever.
ABC will televise the MLS Cup final Sunday, Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. ET.
Game-by-Game Audience for 2019 MLS Playoffs on ESPN English-language Networks:
|
Date
|
Game
|
Network
|
Viewers (P2+)
|
|
Sat., Oct 19
|
Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers
|
ESPNEWS
|
80,000
|
|
Sun, Oct 20
|
Minnesota United FC vs. LA Galaxy
|
ESPN
|
329,000
|
|
Thu, Oct 24
|
Atlanta United vs. Philadelphia Union
|
ESPN2
|
303,000
|
|
|
LAFC vs. LA Galaxy
|
ESPN2/ESPN
|
496,000
|
|
Tue, Oct 29
|
LAFC vs. Seattle Sounders
|
ESPN
|
389,000
|
*** ESPNEWS did not televise a playoff match in 2018
Five live ESPN Deportes playoff matches in 2019 have averaged 174,000 viewers, a 235 percent increase from 52,000 viewers for six matches in 2018. The 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs is also the most-watched MLS postseason series on a Spanish-language cable network on record.
2019 MLS Playoffs on ESPN Deportes:
|
Date
|
Game
|
Viewers (P2+)
|
|
Sat., Oct 19
|
Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers
|
23,000
|
|
Sun, Oct 20
|
Minnesota United FC vs. LA Galaxy
|
86,000
|
|
Thu, Oct 24
|
Atlanta United vs. Philadelphia Union
|
86,000
|
|
|
LAFC vs. LA Galaxy
|
375,000
|
|
Tue, Oct 29
|
LAFC vs. Seattle Sounders
|
272,000
|
MLS Cup
ESPN coverage of the MLS Cup Playoffs will conclude with ABC’s broadcast of the MLS Cup Sunday, Nov. 10, at 3 p.m. ET.
|
Date
|
Time (ET)
|
Event/Commentators
|
Networks
|
|
Sun, Nov 10
|
3 p.m.
|
2019 MLS Cup
Jon Champion, Taylor Twellman and Sebastian Salazar Mauricio Pedroza and Herculez Gomez (ESPN International Networks) |
ABC
|
