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(AP) Pierre Moussa knows that in some quarters this isn’t a popular answer. Yet as NBC enters its 12th season of English Premier League coverage this weekend, there aren’t many changes planned for the broadcast.
On the other hand, NBC doesn’t have any reason to make wholesale changes, as it was the most-watched Premier League in the US last season.
“I think we have to focus even more on the foundation of our success because a lot of people are watching the Premier League for the first time and it’s attracting a lot of new fans,” said Moussa, coordinating producer of the NBC report.
Last season, NBC, USA Network and Peacock averaged 546,000 viewers per televised game, surpassing the previous record of 541,000 set in the 2015-16 season. This number is also a 4% increase from the 2022-23 season.
The attention on the Premier League sparked by the Paris Olympics and an increase in Peacock subscribers could mean another record year for viewership.
NBC’s Premier League studio team of Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe and Tim Howard will once again be in England to kick off the new season. That includes Friday’s season opener between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford, which will be broadcast on USA Network. The studio crew will then travel to London on Saturday and Sunday for West Ham United’s match against Aston Villa and four-time defending champions Manchester City’s match against Chelsea. Both games will be broadcast on NBC.
Of this weekend’s 10 games, five will air on USA Network, two on NBC, and three exclusively on Peacock.
This is also the first time that the Premier League has started after the Olympics since NBC began broadcasting the league in 2013. The first weekend of the season overlapped during the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Lowe believes there could be some hangover from the start of the season as players from the top teams compete in the European Championships, America’s Cup and Olympics.
“Some players barely get a break because they might only have two weeks off and then they have to go on a pre-season tour around the world,” Lowe said. “I don’t think the team that (Manchester City manager) Pep Guardiola plays at Chelsea this weekend will be the same team that will play in two months. I think the team will start with more young players because the established stars are probably still getting back into shape.”
NBC has listed Gary Neville as a contributing writer. The former Manchester United star also works for Sky Sports.
Since both NBC and Sky Sports are owned by Comcast, this is another example of synergy between the two networks.
“Our viewers really do get the best of both worlds,” Moussa said. “They get to watch every single game that most people around the world can’t, especially viewers in the UK. They also get to take advantage of the best of both worlds from their domestic broadcasters (in England) and their colleagues at Sky. So we get to take advantage of all their coverage, access, resources and support.”
NBC may also benefit from the multi-year deal with CBS to cover the English Football League, which will give the Championship and League One the broadest coverage in the United States.
Three teams from the Championship are promoted to the Premier League each season. Wrexham, co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is playing in League One, two divisions below the Premier League, for the first time.
“They were in the same division as Ipswich Town two years ago and now they’re in the Premier League. Wrexham can look at Ipswich and say if they can do it in two years, why can’t we?” Lowe said.
Ipswich itself has strong celebrity links, with long-time fan and singer Ed Sheeran having acquired a minority stake in the club.
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