SoccerAmerica - Viewers double on ABC, ESPN and Univision 06/14/2010

[TELEVISION WATCH] It comes as no surprise, given the hype and extensive promotional efforts surrounding the World Cup, that the early broadcasts on ESPN, ABC and Univision have drawn record ratings and viewerships.

The USA-England game on ABC was the most-viewed first-round game ever with a 7.3 household rating and 12,956,000 viewers, based on fast nationals. It was the fifth most watched game on ABC after the 1999 Women's World Cup final (18 million viewers), the 1994 World Cup final (14.5 million), the 1994 World Cup second-round match between the USA and Brazil (13.7 million) and 2006 World Cup final (12 million).

Through five matches, ESPN and ABC averaged 3,427,000 households and 4,937,000 viewers -- up 95% and 108%, respectively, vs. the first five games of the 2006 World Cup.

Univision attracted 5.4 million viewers for the opening game between Mexico and host South Africa on Friday. Amazingly, the opening game was Friday's most-viewed program in these key markets Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix and Sacramento.

Its average audience of 4.0 million for the two games on Friday nearly doubled its audience for the first two games four years ago.

0 comments

Kyr-Roger St.-Denis

commented on: June 14, 2010 at 7:18 a.m.

This article would be more informative if the comparisons were expressed in terms of ratings, rather than households. The number of households increases as the years go by; ratings, like percentages, are comparable over decades.

Joe Grady

commented on: June 14, 2010 at 8:07 a.m.

"Amazingly, the opening game was Friday's most-viewed program in these key markets Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix and Sacramento." Amazingly???? Really? Not to me. Univision attracts Mexico fans and those fans are NOT USA fans.

Ric Fonseca

commented on: June 14, 2010 at 1:06 p.m.

Both comments have a popint. Rating, like statistics (same-old-same-old?) can be and are manipulated depending on the target audience. But Joe Grady doesn't seem to understand, that the Friday game was "Amazingly..." the most viewed program, was simply and because it was broadcast at 7:00AM PT, at a time when people were supposedly going to work, thus many called in late, or called in sick, regardless the national target audience, and Mr. Grady, futbol is futbol no matter what the nationality! PLAY ON!!!

Guillermo p Delapena

commented on: June 16, 2010 at 1:48 p.m.

That's right Joe Grady, and I would like to let you know, that I'm following the world cup on univision and I'm a USA fan and so are a lot of people I know, you don't know what you're talking about.

JC Araujo

commented on: June 16, 2010 at 4:14 p.m.

Gents, there are many variables involved in why folks may watch Univision vs. ESPN. One variable at my work is that Univision feeds is visible through our firewall, where as ESPN feed has to come in via only approved providers. Everyone at work watches Univision because we can. IF ESPN removed the restrictions on their feeds then their ratings would go up... maybe. Anyone for soccer?

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