2024 Soccer on U.S. TV – Year in Review

Another year is in the books and it had it all – recording-breaking viewership, the Euros, Copa América, the Paris Olympics, and more. As we’ve done for a decade, we captured the daily rundown of soccer broadcasts and crunched the numbers to give a holistic look at the soccer on U.S. TV in 2024.

How many games were broadcast on linear, cable, and satellite TV? Which teams were featured most? How many different networks featured soccer games? Let’s jump in!

European Dominance Continues

If we remove all international friendlies and competitions (which accounted for 14% of total broadcasts), European soccer maintains its firm grip on American television and accounted for over half of all regional competition broadcasts. Spain’s La Liga was the most-featured league and the Premier League fourth, behind Liga MX and Ligue 1.

The most noteworthy European event in 2024 was the European Championship (Euros), which saw nearly 6.5 million Americans watch Spain defeat England in the Final on FOX. This was a 7% increase over the 2021 Finals between Italy-England on ESPN. Over the course of the tournament, FOX Sports’ coverage averaged 1.7 million viewers per game, up 34% versus the 2021 tournament (Sportico).

The Americas: A Strong Regional Presence

North and South American soccer competition accounted for over 43% of regional broadcasts, demonstrating the importance of both local and hemispheric competition to U.S. audiences. Liga MX was the second-most televised competition, underlining the significant influence of Mexican soccer in the American market. Meanwhile, South American competitions maintained a solid presence with about 18% of total regional broadcasts.

Like the Euros, 2024 also saw the return of Copa América—held in the U.S. for the first time since 2016. The Final, featuring Lionel Messi and Argentina versus Colombia, averaged 6.1 million viewers on FOX—making it the most-watched Copa América Final on English-language television. Spanish-language viewership on Univision and TUDN together averaged 5.2 million viewers with a peak of 6.7 million—the single highest TV number for Univision since the 2014 FIFA Men’s World Cup Final. The average viewership for Copa América games on FOX was 1.4 million, up 44% from the 2016 tournament. (Sportico).

The Global Game

While European and Americas-based soccer dominated the schedule, other regions maintained a presence in American broadcasting. African competitions accounted for about 2.5% of regional broadcasts, while Asian soccer, primarily through the Saudi Pro League, represents roughly 2% of the total. This global representation, though modest, provides American viewers access to a diverse range of soccer cultures and styles.

40 Numbers Defining Soccer’s Success

We compiled a list to showcase some of the undeniable momentum in the sport since 2020.

Weekend Warriors & Seasonal Patterns

Among the TV data, one thing is obvious—weekend programming rules the roost, with Saturday and Sunday combining for more than half of all broadcasts (771 and 730 games respectively). Wednesdays emerge as the busiest weekday with 342 games, largely due to European midweek fixtures and cup competitions.

The broadcast calendar reveals interesting seasonal variations, with September (333 games) and February (318 games) emerging as the busiest months. This timing aligns with crucial periods in both European seasons and international competitions. The schedule thins during June and August, reflecting the traditional off-season periods for many leagues.

Soccer on U.S. TV numbers since 2020

In 2024, there were 14 days without games—meaning 96% of the year featured at least one game broadcast on TV. With so many viewing options available to American fans in 2024, how have things changed over the past five years?

Below is a graph illustrating the number of games, teams, and competitions per year since 2020.

Although the number of individual games decreased year-over-year, the number of individual teams and competitions each reached new heights since at least 2020. In fact, the number of teams and competitions are up 53% and 38%, respectively, in that timeframe.

Historical Soccer on U.S. TV recaps

Can’t get enough? Take a look back through our archive of soccer on U.S. TV recaps, dating back to 2015.

As always, a big thank you to Live Soccer TV for the great work they do in helping make our daily data collection much easier.