The biennial CONCACAF Gold Cup led Fox Soccer to strong year-over-year gains in July for both total-day and primetime viewership. The net in July '12 was without a major tournament like the Gold Cup and had a slate led by summer club friendlies and MLS matches. For games involving the U.S. squad, Fox Soccer averaged 481,000 viewers for three matches compared to 346,000 viewers for four matches in '11. Meanwhile, on the heels of double-digit percentage drops in Q2, ESPN in July saw an 8% drop in total-day viewership and a 12% drop in primetime compared to the same period in '12. Contributing to the drops was a shift in the Nielsen calendar. ESPN this past month had neither the NBA Draft nor College World Series final -- both of which aired during July '12 on the Nielsen calendar. The net also had a strong presence last July with the UEFA Euro 2012 semifinals and final, as well as strong numbers around pre-Olympic programming. NBC Sports Network and ESPN2 also saw sharp drops in July in both metrics. After seeing record-setting viewership in Q2, Golf Channel saw viewership down in July for both total-day and primetime audience. MLB Network continued to see gains, fueled by increased viewership for games. Primetime viewership for the net was up 14% in July, with total-day up 25%. The net's live games in July averaged 260,000 viewers, up 5% from the same period last year.
Listed below is average viewership for select cable sports networks for the month of July under the Nielsen calendar.
|
PRIMETIME VIEWERSHIP AMONG CABLE SPORTS NETWORKS IN JULY
|
| NETWORK |
'13 (000)
|
'12 (000)
|
1-YR % +/-
|
'11 (000)
|
'10 (000)
|
'09 (000)
|
| ESPN |
1,052
|
1,200
|
-12%
|
1,267
|
1,502
|
1,338
|
| ESPN2 |
244
|
376
|
-35%
|
392
|
416
|
382
|
| MLB Network |
190
|
166
|
14%
|
173
|
131
|
n/a
|
| Speed |
183
|
168
|
9%
|
189
|
195
|
267
|
| NBC Sports Network |
155
|
233
|
-33%
|
203
|
154
|
250
|
| Golf Channel |
142
|
154
|
-8%
|
120
|
127
|
145
|
| NFL Network |
106
|
95
|
12%
|
120
|
76
|
66
|
| ESPNews |
97
|
119
|
-18%
|
90
|
98
|
88
|
| Fox Soccer |
95
|
20
|
375%
|
33
|
33
|
55
|
| NBA TV |
78
|
84
|
-7%
|
34
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
| Fuel TV |
44
|
47
|
-6%
|
14
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
TOTAL-DAY VIEWERSHIP AMONG CABLE SPORTS NETWORKS IN JULY
|
| NETWORK |
'13 (000)
|
'12 (000)
|
1-YR % +/-
|
'11 (000)
|
'10 (000)
|
'09 (000)
|
| ESPN |
729
|
796
|
-8%
|
797
|
919
|
700
|
| ESPN2 |
204
|
249
|
-18%
|
258
|
266
|
274
|
| Speed |
108
|
106
|
2%
|
114
|
119
|
142
|
| NBC Sports Network |
97
|
180
|
-46%
|
107
|
122
|
158
|
| Golf Channel |
96
|
97
|
-1%
|
71
|
74
|
84
|
| MLB Network |
95
|
76
|
25%
|
74
|
49
|
n/a
|
| NFL Network |
78
|
68
|
15%
|
81
|
54
|
44
|
| ESPNews |
66
|
76
|
-13%
|
60
|
71
|
68
|
| NBA TV |
50
|
59
|
-15%
|
20
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
| Fox Soccer |
36
|
12
|
200%
|
17
|
14
|
24
|
| Fuel TV |
27
|
29
|
-7%
|
10
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
NOTES: Measurement period for this year was July 1-28, while last year was June 25-July 29. Figures not available for Pac-12 Networks, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, Fox College Sports, Longhorn Network, NHL Network, Tennis Channel, ESPN Deportes, beIN Sport, GolTV, Fox Deportes, Sportsman Channel, Outdoor Network, ESPN Classic and Universal Sports.
