Premier League Opening Weekend Sets Record Viewership on NBC Sports
NBC Sports is scoring big as the 2025-26 English Premier League season kicks off with record-breaking viewership in the U.S. The opening weekend saw an average of 850,000 viewers tuning in to six live matches on NBC/Peacock, USA Network, and NBC Sports’ digital platforms. This marks a 4% increase from last season’s average of 820,000 viewers.
The highlight of the weekend was the Manchester United vs. Arsenal match, which drew in an impressive 2 million viewers on NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports’ digital platforms. This makes it the most-watched opening weekend match in U.S. history and the second most-watched match overall, just behind the 2.1 million viewers who watched Manchester City play Arsenal on March 31, 2024.
When Telemundo’s Spanish-language coverage is taken into account, the United vs. Arsenal game reached an audience of 2.3 million viewers, coming close to the 2.6 million audience for the City vs. Arsenal match in March 2024.
With a recent $2.7 billion six-year extension to its U.S. rights deal, the Premier League remains a major success for NBCUniversal. The league has been instrumental in driving subscriptions to Peacock and has continued to deliver strong and growing viewership across broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms.
