Elaine He & James Boxell, Columnists

Pep Guardiola Hasn't Saved English Football Yet

Sky's Premier League viewing figures have increased this season, but the improvement has moderated.

November 20, 2017 at 8:00 AM UTC

By Elaine He and James Boxell

1511167124_pep — Photographer: Victoria Haydn/Manchester City FC via Getty Images

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Pep Guardiola's Manchester City has been rampant in the Premier League this year, scoring goals for fun as it's raced to a commanding lead in the table. The exploits of Kevin de Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and co. might help explain a rise in viewership for Sky Plc's televised games, after several seasons of decline or stagnation.

It's certainly cheered up Jeremy Darroch, Sky's CEO, who's said things are going well in the 2017-18 season. And it's true, as a Gadfly analysis of official viewing figures from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board confirms. The only troubling note is that after some pretty handsome gains at the start of the season, the rise seems to have tailed off on a cumulative basis, while viewing figures are still below where they were two seasons ago: