Merseyside derby smashes the record for most-watched Premier League game of ALL TIME

Sky Sports have confirmed that the the Merseyside derby was watched by 5.5 million viewers in the UK on Sunday night, setting a new Premier League record.  

Jurgen Klopp‘s Liverpool side returned to action with a visit to Goodison Park, but put in an altogether lacklustre performance as they failed to break the deadlock against Carlo Ancelotti’s side. 

And 5.5 million people tuned in to watch the game – which was broadcast on Sky Sports and on Pick TV on free-to-air television.

The Merseyside Derby has smashed the Premier League viewing figure record 

5.5 million viewers tuned in to watch Everton draw 0-0 with Liverpool at Goodison Park

That figure eclipses the previous record held by Manchester City and Manchester United in the 2011-12 season, which saw 4.30 million people tune in to watch City defeat United 1-0 after a Vincent Kompany header. 

It follows from what has been a strong week of viewing figures for the English top flight since its return to action following a three-month break due to the coronavirus crisis. 

Bournemouth’s defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday night saw 3.9 million people tune in as the game was broadcast on BBC One. That figure equates to a 24.5 per cent share of Saturday night’s TV audience and the match brought in an average viewership of 3.6m.

The game was broadcast on Sky Sports and Pick TV as part of a deal to air football on free TV

Sunday’s figure eclipses the previous record set in 2012 in the Manchester Derby (4.3 million)

The return of Premier League football also ensured Match of the Day was back in its traditional Saturday night BBC One slot. The highlights show pulled in a peak TV audience of 2.7m. 

As part of the UK Government’s demand for a third of the remaining top-flight games to be shown free-to-air, the BBC will broadcast three other matches. 

The Premier League made its official return on Wednesday, with Aston Villa holding Sheffield United to a 0-0 draw before Manchester City defeated Arsenal 3-0. The latter fixture drew an audience of 3.4 million when it aired on Sky Sports, representing a 14.3 per cent share of all TV on Wednesday night. 

Crystal Palace’s win over Bournemouth saw 3.9 million people tune in to BBC One, in what was the first Premier League game to be broadcast on the channel in 30 years

Match of the Day returned to its prime Saturday night slot and attracted 2.7 million viewers

There is a growing sense of optimism that the hectic fixture schedule will see the top ten viewing figures shattered with games stretched out over the course of six weeks. Manchester United had featured in eight of the top 10 most-viewed live games on Sky Sports before the resumption of the Premier League season. 

The next Premier League match to be broadcast on the BBC will be Norwich v Everton, airing on BBC Two on June 24 at 6pm. That will be followed by Southampton v Man City on July 5.

With no fans at the grounds, broadcasters have been dubbing artificial fan noise over the action to give games a more authentic feel in these unusual times.

Wednesday’s action saw the majority of fans opt to experience the return of football with fake crowd noise with 75 per cent of viewers watching the matches on Sky Sports’ Main Event channel.

The artificial noises were taken from EA Sports’ FIFA 20 video game, with each ground having chants befitting of their teams.