The Bundesliga made massive gains in US television market

It's no secret that the United States is probably the biggest sports market in the world in terms of consumer dollars spent and TV viewership. It's underlines why the Barclays Premier League has such high payouts to their teams from their TV money pool; it's been a big success in the US market since NBC bought the rights. Right behind the BPL however is the Bundesliga which is now the second highest rated league in the US among English speaking viewers.

The move to FOX for the Bundesliga was not always a smooth transition, but the numbers show that it has been an absolute boon for both the network and the league itself. The DfB saw their prized top flight league go from being in 11 million homes in the US to 116 million homes, a 954% increase. FOX also had more faith in it's marketability as the season went on, seeing it's live broadcasts increase from 141 to 230 games.

While these numbers should give Bayern and German soccer fans in general some much needed hope when it comes to exposure, the gap between the Bundesliga and the BPL in terms of contract dollars and access is still pretty wide. However, when you couple the increased viewership in the strongest sports market in the world (one that is increasingly embracing the sport of soccer with each passing year) along with the fact that the Bundesliga attendance averaged over 43,000 per game, and 2.82 goals per game -- both highest among the "big five" domestic leagues -- it is likely a much more lucrative US television contract is in the DfB's future.