MLS' biggest bubble audience to date is 587,000 viewers for Atlanta United-Red Bulls on July 11Atlanta United
MLS' viewership this month is up over July '19, while average viewership for primetime games is 289,000, a 4% "increase over last year as a whole," according to Jonathan Tannenwald of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. The MLS is Back Tournament's biggest audience was 587,000 viewers for Fox's Atlanta United-Red Bulls on July 11. Some of the "smallest audiences" have come for the 9:00am ET kickoffs, although the league and ESPN "thought they would do well." MLS Senior VP/Media Seth Bacon said, "We were curious to see what would happen in these windows. Clearly, playing games at 9 a.m. on a weekday, there's a lot of learnings we can take from that." Tannenwald wrote the "biggest success with broadcasting the tournament has come from the many new technologies that MLS and ESPN have deployed." Among the "most obvious is the virtual advertising wall on the sideline that has been covered with local and national sponsors." From the broadcast side, the "most acclaimed aspect has been the drone camera that flies high over the field at every game." It has provided some "fascinating views of formations and teams' tactical moves" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/26).
