Record-Setting Postseason Caps off 2014 MLS Campaign

NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Major League Soccer set new records for postseason television viewership, attendance, digital audience and social media engagement as the League concluded its 19^th season on Sunday, Dec. 7 with the LA Galaxy defeating the New England Revolution 2-1 at MLS Cup 2014.

With fans tuning in from home and across digital platforms, 2 million viewers in the United States watched MLS Cup, an increase of 93 percent over MLS Cup 2013, according to Nielsen research.  An audience of 964,000 watched the league's 19^th championship match on ESPN, while 678,000 viewed on UniMás and 245,000 tuned in to Univision Deportes Network (UDN).  In addition, 89,000 unique viewers watched MLS Cup on WatchESPN, accumulating 4.3 million live minutes viewed.  MLS Cup 2014 set an all-time record for Spanish-language viewers, as 923,000 soccer fans watched the game on UniMás and on UDN.    

Soccer fans in Los Angeles and Boston tuned into MLS Cup in significant numbers, as the match generated a 3.17 household rating in Boston and a 1.66 household rating in Los Angeles.  In addition, 172 countries, an all-time record, viewed MLS Cup on ESPN International and other networks throughout the world.   MLS Cup also was broadcast live on SiriusXM and ESPN Deportes Radio.

ATTENDANCE RECORDS SET 
In addition to strong television viewership, soccer fans supported their clubs during the 2014 postseason in record numbers, as an all-time high of 23,633 fans per game attended the MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup.  The 2014 MLS regular season also set a new attendance record, averaging 19,147 fans per game during the League's 19^th season.

ALL-TIME HIGH:  MLS POSTSEASON DIGITAL AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT 
The 2014 MLS postseason also featured record digital metrics, building upon a digital audience from the regular season that had doubled over the previous year. During the MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup, the League's website, MLSsoccer.com, set a record for digital audience, up 25 percent over 2013, and video consumption, up 100 percent over last year's postseason. The postseason also saw a record of more than 226 million social media impressions across the League's content on Twitter, Facebook, Vine, Snapchat and Instagram.   

About Major League Soccer 
Major League Soccer kicks off its 20^th season in early March of 2015 featuring 20 clubs throughout the United States and Canada.  The 2015 season will feature the most comprehensive U.S. media rights partnership in the history of the league, as eight-year agreements with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision Deportes commence next year.  The 2015 regular season schedule will be announced in the near future.  For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.   

CONTACT
Dan Courtemanche, Major League Soccer, +1-212-450-1225, [email protected]

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SOURCE Major League Soccer

Related Links

http://www.MLSsoccer.com