Sky's Soccer Flagship Suffers Three Year Ratings Drop
- Audience drop accelerates for late-Sunday Premier League game
- Decline raises risk of subscriber loss: Northern Trust
Sergio Aguero celebrates after winning the Barclays Premier League.
Photographer: Shaun Botterill/Getty ImagesTelevision viewership of Sky Plc’s flagship Sunday late-afternoon soccer game has fallen by 19 percent this season, the biggest drop yet in a five-year slide in the U.K. that raises the risk that a decline in subscribers may follow.
After eight games, the average audience for pay-TV provider’s “Super Sunday” English Premier League match is 1.03 million viewers, according to data from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board. That’s down 39 percent from a peak of 1.68 million viewers in 2011-2012. The 4 p.m. slot, a fixture for Sky since 1992, is part of an overall drop in its Premier League viewership this year, a concern for investors after the company paid 4.17 billion pounds ($5.17 billion) in its latest three-season contract with the league.