In 2013, NBC made a significant investment by acquiring the U.S. broadcast rights to the English Premier League (EPL) for $250 million, a move that initially seemed risky given soccer’s relatively modest popularity in the United States. At that time, a Gallup poll indicated only 4% of Americans ranked soccer as their favorite sport, and NBC’s coverage of Major League Soccer averaged a mere 0.1 television rating. Over the past 14 years, however, that gamble has largely paid off, with soccer’s profile rising substantially in the U.S. and NBC’s EPL broadcasts drawing steadily growing audiences.

The current EPL season, which began last month, showcased the sport’s expanded reach. The opening Saturday match between Brentford and Tottenham attracted an average of 1.2 million viewers across NBC and its streaming service Peacock, marking a 16% increase over the previous year’s season opener. NBC is now televising all 380 EPL games of the season across its networks, including NBC, the USA Network, and Peacock, where more than half of the matches are available via streaming.

Recent surveys from research firms Parks Associates and Inter-Digital indicate that approximately 70% of U.S. sports viewers incorporate streaming services in their viewing habits, with a significant portion turning to platforms such as Peacock for soccer content. Notably, the EPL’s U.S. audience skews younger, with over half of avid soccer viewers between 18 and 34 years old—a demographic valued by advertisers and one that suggests sustained interest.

The sport itself has seen increased popularity in the United States. Data from The Economist shows that the share of Americans naming soccer as their favorite sport has more than doubled over the past decade, rising to 10%, behind only tackle football and basketball. The 2023 FIFA World Cup hosted in North America further underscored this trend, achieving 99.7% stadium capacity and drawing a record U.S. TV audience exceeding 62 million for the final match. While NBC’s exact role in this growth is difficult to quantify, the network’s long-term commitment to the EPL and soccer has been widely acknowledged as influential in expanding the American fan base.

Rebecca Lowe, the veteran anchor of NBC’s EPL coverage since the network’s first season, has played a key role in educating and engaging viewers who were new to the sport. She initially faced the challenge of making the complexities of English soccer accessible to Americans unfamiliar with its rules and traditions, striking a balance between catering to novices and respecting knowledgeable fans. Over time, she noted, the American audience has become more sophisticated, reflecting soccer’s increasing mainstream acceptance.

Lowe’s background includes stints at the BBC and ESPN in the UK before joining NBC in 2013. Beyond soccer, she has covered events such as the Kentucky Derby and hosted NBC’s coverage of seven Olympic Games—the most among active American TV journalists. In a rare arrangement, she also anchored Fox Sports’ World Cup coverage in 2023, managing the sometimes contentious interactions among former players on air.

Pierre Moossa, NBC Sports’ coordinating producer for EPL broadcasts since the beginning, highlighted a cultural shift within the U.S. soccer community. “We are now hiring people on our production staff that were watching the Premier League for the last five or six years, that grew up watching it,” he said, underscoring the generational change in viewership and production. Moossa recalled the early days when soccer fans in the U.S. often kept their enthusiasm quiet, but now the growing passion for the sport is broadly embraced.

With its comprehensive coverage strategy and emphasis on accessibility, NBC has helped propel the EPL into the American sports mainstream. Fourteen seasons after its initial investment, what once seemed a risky venture has become a cornerstone of NBC Sports’ programming and a key driver of soccer’s growing U.S. audience.