Real Madrid’s stunning victory over Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final was not only one of the greatest comebacks in the competition’s history — it was also one of the most watched in U.S. history.
Wednesday’s match averaged 1.1 million viewers, the most for a UCL semi-final ever on English-language American television, per Sports Business Journal.
Against a comparable semi-final match from 2019, viewership was up 118%.
Besides the excitement of the game itself, the matchup between two iconic clubs likely gave viewership a boost: Real Madrid ranks fifth ($4.8B) and Manchester City ranks 13th ($4B) on Forbes’ list of highest-value sports teams.
CBS attained the English-language U.S. rights to Champions League in 2019 for a reported $150 million per year.
The network began broadcasting games on its Paramount+ streaming service in 2020.
