2023 Soccer on U.S. TV – Year in Review

Another year is in the books! 2023 had it all – recording-breaking viewership, a FIFA Women’s World Cup, soccer properties featured on new networks, and more. As we’ve done for nearly a decade now, 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 2023.

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

Soccer on U.S. TV reaches 6-year high

Yes, you read that correctly. Streaming is the choice du jour for a lot of soccer properties these days and, in fact, tracking these broadcasts would be nearly impossible given the sheer quantity available at our fingertips. But the cornucopia of options on OTT platforms hasn’t taken away from the number of games available on linear, cable, and satellite channels. In truth, you can argue it’s done the opposite. As soccer’s popularity grows, so too do the number of ways in which fans can watch their favorite teams and leagues.

Where to Watch Soccer in 2024

With so many leagues and competitions available, where and how can you watch them all?

In 2023, there were only four days with no games. In other words, 99% of the days in the year featured at least one soccer game on TV. With 3,027 games across 35 different networks, fans in the U.S. were privy to just over eight soccer broadcasts per day.

From the Canadian Premier League to African Cup of Nations Qualifying and the Caribbean Club Championship to the UEFA Women’s Champions League, we fans have, unquestionably, the best access to global competitions in the world. In 2023 there were just under 100 different competitions broadcast on TV, featuring over 900 different teams.

Which teams were featured most? Check out those answers and other soccer on U.S. TV insights below.

Looking back at key moments in 2023

There couldn’t have been over 3,000 games on TV without some major events over the course of the year. Let’s take a walk down memory lane and start with the biggest international tournament of 2023.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, set attendance and ticket sales records. The U.S. Women’s National Team’s group stage game against the Netherlands was also the most-watched soccer game in the U.S. last year, with 7.6 million viewers on FOX and Telemundo.

NBC Sports had a tremendous year with its Premier League property. By the end of the 2022-23 season, the network had its second-most watched season ever in the U.S. with an average of 527,000 viewers per game across NBC, USA, and CNBC. In December, NBC Sports recorded the most-watched Premier League game in history (1.96 million English-language viewers alone).

2023 also featured the debut of Leagues Cup, the competition pitting all Liga MX and MLS teams against each other in a one-month summer tournament. The games were mostly shown on AppleTV+, but select games were broadcast on FOX Sports and Univision. The most-watched game of the tournament was Lionel Messi’s debut for Inter Miami against Cruz Azul. Who could forget this stoppage time free kick?

Looking ahead to 2024 soccer on TV

This year will prove to be a massive one for linear, cable, and satellite TV broadcasts. Without question, the focus as 2024 progresses will be the return of Copa América – hosted in the U.S. – and the Euros. Both competitions will be held from mid-June through mid-July and broadcast on FOX Sports and Univision / TUDN.

Euro 2024 in the morning and early afternoon. Copa América 2024 in the late afternoon and evening. Something to keep an eye on – it’s likely both tournaments will meet or exceed tournament viewership records.

Soccer Industry Storylines in 2024

What are we watching in the marketing, media, and event space this year? Check out our preview.

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.