Man Utd vs. Arsenal Clash Propels Premier League to Shatter U.S. Viewership Records in Opening Weekend Spectacle
The widely beloved Premier League maintains its upward trajectory, shattering audience numbers for the inaugural weekend of the 2025–26 season, highlighted by one of England's most intense rivalries.
NBC released a statement declaring this past weekend as the highest-viewed opening weekend in American television history, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics data. The opening weekend drew an average of 850,000 viewers through Total Audience Delivery across six fixtures on the NBCUniversal network (NBC, Peacock, USA Network, NBC Sports Digital), surpassing last year's benchmark of 820,000.
Additionally, the Manchester United versus Arsenal clash became the most-watched opening weekend match in U.S. broadcasting history with an average of two million viewers. This marquee encounter also ranked as the second most-viewed Premier League fixture ever broadcast in America, trailing only the Manchester City versus Arsenal match from March 31, 2024 (2.1 million viewers).
"When combined with Telemundo's broadcast of Manchester United-Arsenal, the fixture achieved a TAD of 2.3 million viewers, establishing it as the second most-watched match on record when including Spanish-language audiences (Manchester City-Arsenal reached 2.6 million on 3/31/24)," NBC stated.
For context, the Man City versus Arsenal encounter was a crucial match in the 2023–24 championship race. Both teams played to a scoreless stalemate at Etihad Stadium. This contrasted sharply with their previous meeting at City's venue during their comeback from an eight-point deficit in the 2022–23 campaign. It marked the first occasion in 58 matches that Pep Guardiola's squad failed to find the net at home.
Coincidentally, this weekend's battle between the Gunners and Red Devils featured similar defensive tactics, with the sole goal emerging from a set piece in the 13th minute. Nevertheless, the celebrity appeal, prestigious clubs, and talented players contributed to making it among the most-watched Premier League matches in broadcasting history, demonstrating the current popularity of the league and the sport.
Premier League action returns on Friday, Aug. 22 when West Ham United welcome Chelsea.