Celtic vs Chelsea match gets high-profile prime slot on network TV in USA

Celtic will be exposed to a whole new audience later on Saturday with the friendly match against Chelsea being broadcast live on network television in America.

 

Celtic have already taken care of DC United and Manchester City on their travels across the Atlantic. They’ll be keen to make it three wins on three against Enzo Maresca’s side at the iconic Notre Dame University.

The match against City had live coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN+ but there’s a much bigger potential audience on Saturday with the kick-off against Chelsea given a prime slot on ABC – confirmed in a press release on Friday.

 

There are only a handful of network, over-the-air channels in America and ABC is one of those that reaches 97% of households in the country. It’s the equivalent of the fixture being aired on the BBC or ITV over here – albeit on a bigger scale.

 

It’s a fantastic chance for the Celtic team and Celtic ‘brand’ to make a positive impression on people who may be watching the Bhoys for the first time. The match kicks off at 9pm in Scotland, which is 4pm ET in the States.

The USA tour has been a big success for Celtic

With lots of hard training, excellent match practice and positive PR exercises, the USA tour can be considered a big success for Celtic.

 

There have been notable charity endeavours and public outreach events too, carrying to Celtic name to the heart of communities that the club have travelled to in Washington DC, North Carolina and Indiana.

 

There’s an upside to that exposure and if Celtic can return to the USA more regularly, plenty of potential fans could be attracted to the Bhoys experience.

Rodgers focused on a more humble goal

For manager Brendan Rodgers the immediate focus is less grand than conquering a USA audience.

 

He’s solely focused on getting enough fitness into his team for next weekend’s big Scottish Premiership kick-off against Kilmarnock.

 

Celtic face Killie, Hibernian, St Mirren, Rangers and Hearts in the opening weeks of the season so it’s crucial that they hit the ground running and carry momentum from the summer into the initial slate of matches.