By Paul Kennedy Wednesday’s semifinal match between Spain and Portugal drew the largest audience ever on ESPN for the semifinals of theEuropean Championship — 1.952 million viewers, based on a 0.7 rating. The two semifinals drew an average of 1.907 million viewers, an increase of 46 percent compared to the twosemifinals in 2008. Through 30 […]
Soccer Business Insider
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
Italy-England almost equals Yankees-Mets on ratings chart
By Paul Kennedy Sunday’s Euro 2012 quarterfinal between Italy and England drew the highest rating yet on ESPN: a 2.4 overnight rating. That’s an increase of 50 percent from the Spain-Italy game at the same stage four years. WORTH THE READ.Want to know what goes into the extensive stats ESPN throws at fans during Euro […]
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
ESPN's Euro audiences up 184 percent
By Paul Kennedy Through eight matches, ESPN is averaging 1,260,000 viewers for Euro 2012.That’s an increase of 183 percent compared to the first eight games of Euro 2008 (446,000 viewers). And Wednesday’s Netherlands-Germany afternoon matchup posted a strong 1.2overnight rating, while the earlier Denmark-Portugal game posted a 0.9 overnight, according to Nielsen. Top 10 […]
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
Euro 2012 TV ratings continue to grow on ESPN
By Paul Kennedy There seems to be no stopping the growth of the U.S. viewership for international soccer. After the first three days of Euro 2012, fourgroup games on ESPN drew higher ratings than those for any first-round game four years earlier. Sunday’s Spain-Italy game, which kicked off at noon ET, drew a 1.7 rating, […]
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
The end of soccer's nightly news show
By Paul Kennedy Fox Soccer Report helped put Winnipeg on the soccer media map with the production of the nightly news show doneeach night from a tiny studio of the corner of the 30th floor of the CanWest Plaza, one of the tallest buildings in Canada. But the show is going off the air by […]
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
Spending big money isn't paying in MLS
By Paul Kennedy David Beckham is making $2.5 million less this year under the terms of his new agreement with the Los Angelesthan he did last year when he was MLS’s highest-paid player with $6,500,000.04 in guaranteed compensation. The New York Red Bulls’ Thierry Henryand Rafael Marquez are now the highest-paid players in MLS with […]
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
New soccer network be IN Sports set for summer launch
By Paul Kennedy Middle East network Al Jazeera is buying up whatever international soccer television rights it can get its hands on — and thatincludes U.S. rights to some of Europe’s biggest leagues. be IN Sports will be the name of the new network, and Multichannel News reported that it will launch with English- and […]
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
EPL viewing up 71 percent for season finale
By Paul Kennedy A total of 1,348,000 viewers — 992,000 for English-language coverage and 356,000 for Spanish-language coverage — tuned in for the U.S. televisioncoverage of the final day of the English Premier League season, a jump of 72 percent over 2011 final day viewing. All 10 games aired live on seven English-languagenetworks, two Spanish-language […]
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
MLS's new hottest ticket: the BBVA Compass Stadium opener
By Paul Kennedy Major League Soccer will open its 11th soccer-specific stadium when the Houston Dynamo hosts D.C. United on Saturday. The Dynamo has enjoyed considerable success since its move to Houston in 2006 — far more than was considered imaginable — and the opening of its downtown stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium, only addsto its […]
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
'Survival Sunday' to fill the air waves
By Paul Kennedy How big is the English Premier League on American television? Seven Fox and two ESPN networks will be showinglive coverage of the final day of the EPL season. Fox is dubbing it “Survival Sunday.” It will broadcast sixmatches on Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus, plus FX, SPEED, FSN and FUEL TV, […]