Bundesliga a hit among American soccer fans during 2015-16 season
The German top flight is second to only the Premier League in American English-language viewership, topping La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1.
The Bundesliga has emerged as the second-most watched European soccer league in the United States behind the Premier League.
In its first year of TV coverage on FOX Networks, the Bundesliga has achieved its best TV results ever in the U.S. media market. The German top-flight league had a viewership in the U.S. that was over two times higher than La Liga, over five times higher than Serie A and over 10 times higher than Ligue 1, according to data released by the league.
In this season’s top 10 matches (based off audience numbers), the Bundesliga had seven of the highest audiences on FOX. El Clasico matches were the only ones to crack the top 10, while Serie A had zero. The top Bundesliga broadcast — a match between Bayern Munich and Augsburg on Sept. 13 — brought in 926,000 viewers.
The reach is based on English-language viewers that watched at least six minutes of soccer.
By making the move to FOX, the Bundesliga increased its network availability in the U.S. by 954 percent (from 11 million to 116 million). The Bundesliga has nearly doubled its live match offerings, as it has offered 230 live broadcasts through Matchday 33 (as opposed to 141 during the entire 2014-15 season).
The Bundesliga was perhaps one of the most exciting leagues in Europe last season, while the league brought in an average of 43,379 fans per game in 2015-16, the highest average attendance in Europe’s top five leagues.
Through Matchday 33, 2.82 goals per game were scored in the 201516 Bundesliga season — the highest number among Europe’s top five leagues. Only 23 Bundesliga matches ended 0-0 during the season, the lowest number in Europe’s top five leagues (Spain was the second-lowest with 25 scoreless draws).