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Manchester United have once again reinforced their status as England’s biggest club – if there were ever any doubts – by defying the trend of declining TV viewership figures across the board.
This is despite the fact that the 2024/25 campaign was the worst season in the club’s modern history.
United finished a lowly 15th, having suffered 18 defeats, nine of which came at home. The Red Devils managed just 42 points and registered a -10 goal difference.
The club had a golden opportunity to secure Champions League qualification through the backdoor by lifting the Europa League trophy. However, they squandered it, falling to a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
In October, United sacked Erik ten Hag after a string of poor results and performances. Ruben Amorim was appointed as his replacement but the Portuguese coach failed to inspire an uptick in form, especially domestically.
Actually, it can be argued things became even worse, with Amorim winning just six top-flight games since he took over the reins at Old Trafford.
However, despite their struggles on the pitch, United still managed to buck the overall decline in Premier League viewing figures, according to The Times.
“As revealed earlier this week, Sky Sports registered a 10 per cent fall in average viewer numbers after two previous record-breaking seasons, while TNT Sports also had a decrease.”
“Yet United’s games continued to do well in terms of ratings despite their worst season since the Premier League was formed in 1992.”
“United are almost certainly the club with the biggest following in England — a recent Statista survey put them ahead of Liverpool and Arsenal. But one broadcast insider suggested that United’s poor displays may have also attracted rival fans in greater numbers, to revel in some schadenfreude.”
Martin Ziegler notes that one reason for the drop in Premier League viewers is that fans now have more football to watch.
With more Champions League games and Sky Sports showing a lot more EFL matches, people are spreading their attention across different competitions instead of just focusing on the Premier League.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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