The trendline for the USL on CBS? It’s still going up.

On Thursday, the USL Championship announced last Sunday’s broadcast on the CBS Television Network featuring San Antonio FC and Phoenix Rising FC delivered an average viewership of 453,000, with a peak audience of 776,000, as the second year of its broadcast agreement kicked off with a meeting between the two recent title-winners.

That set a new USL Championship regular season viewership record, surpassing the 2024 premiere between Louisville City FC and Indy Eleven of 432,000 viewers last April, showing clear progression year-on-year for the league’s visibility.

• BROADENED EXPOSURE: When the USL and CBS Sports reached their current agreement in November, 2023, the key for the league was the expanded spotlight airing both on CBS’ over-the-air network – a first in USL Championship history – as well as CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network would provide.
• LOCAL APPEAL: That was coupled with a drive between the league and its clubs across the USL Championship and USL League One to bring more games to local networks, whether through over-the-air channels in markets or regional sports networks. The idea? The fewer barriers that existed for fans to tune in locally or nationally, the more they would engage with the league both attending and viewing games and on social media.

In 2024, average match audiences for the USL Championship and League One rose by 20%, with total viewership climbing 18%. Local linear broadcasts drew more than 15% more viewers, including a 25% increase in home markets.

Sunday’s new regular season record builds on the success of the 2024 campaign. Per Nielsen Big Data (Live + SD) numbers, the 2024 USL Championship Final drew an average of 606,000 viewers on CBS, setting a new benchmark for the league.

With the confluence of the league’s growing visibility on network and cable channels as well as local networks – and the recent news of both the planned expansion to add a Division One league at the top of the USL’s men’s professional structure and implementation of promotion and relegation across its divisions – there has never been a time where the USL has been part of the national soccer conversation more than the here and now.

For the USL, its clubs and CBS, the positive upward trend from the past weekend illustrates the potential the partnership has to continue its growth, further expanding the spotlight for soccer in the United States.

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