Viewership for Saturday's National Women's Soccer League championship match increased 216% over the 2019 finale, the league reported on Tuesday.
The Washington Spirit's 2-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars in Louisville, Kentucky, averaged 525,000 viewers on CBS, the NWSL said, after the majority of the regular season was broadcast on the Paramount+ streaming service.
⭐️ ⭐️
The @WashSpirit's ET victory on @CBS averaged 525K Viewers, Up +216% from the 2019 NWSL Championship571K Viewers tuned in for the final half hour ✨
The match was the most-streamed NWSL game on @paramountplus this season pic.twitter.com/XytpCFvOcG
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 23, 2021
It was the league's most-watched championship match, marking a significant increase in audience over 2019's game, which was broadcast on ESPN.
NWSL championship match on CBS on Saturday drew 525,000 viewers
Some other soccer (English only):
Liverpool-Arsenal (NBC) 877,000
Leeds-Spurs (NBCSN) 455
NYC-ATL playoff (ABC) 435
Portland-Minnesota playoff (ESPN) 253Complete list: https://t.co/Nifif2qt0b
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) November 23, 2021
The championship returned this season after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NWSL to suspend its typical schedule in 2020 in favor of a one-off "Challenge Cup" tournament.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York Editing by Toby Davis)
