Oct 5 (Reuters) - The Premier ⁠League has struck a chord with young Americans after the ⁠US co-hosted this year's World Cup, with viewership for the English ‌top-flight up 20% among those aged 18-34 so far this season, shows data from Nielsen Sports released on Monday.

US broadcasters NBC and the USA Network have drawn an ​average of half a million viewers for ⁠Premier League games this season, ⁠marking a 3% rise, as the sport's popularity has grown.

"The World Cup ⁠served ‌as a powerful catalyst, expanding the Premier League’s footprint across a far broader demographic in the US," said Jon Stainer, ⁠global GM at Nielsen Sports.

"Our data shows that fandom ​is not only ‌reaching record highs but it is also expanding rapidly among younger, ⁠diverse audiences ​and carrying over into major domestic and international leagues."

Just over one million Americans watched Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle United on August 29, ⁠the Premier League's most-watched match in the US ​this season so far.

Spurs have been involved in three of the six most-watched Premier League games in the US this season, as their 3-0 ⁠loss at Brentford and 0-0 home draw with Everton also made the list.

Major League Soccer also benefited from the rising exposure of soccer in the lead-up to the World Cup, with interest jumping 23% among ​16-34 year olds.

Interest in the World Cup peaked ⁠at 87 million fans in July, with female supporters accounting for 44% ​of the total fanbase, according to Nielsen ‌Fan Insights, which collects data from half-hour ​online surveys with a sample size of 3,000 in the US.

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Kolkata; Editing by Ken Ferris)