The 2014 FIFA World Cup isn’t over yet, but it’s already the most streamed event in history, according to content delivery network provider Akamai, as soccer fans watch games online ingreater numbers than ever before. In the U.S. alone, a record-breaking 5.3 million unique viewers tuned in to Watch ESPN and Univision for the USA’s 2-1 overtime loss to Belgium in the round of16.
“We are proud to say that this FIFA World Cup has been the biggest multimedia sporting event in history, with more people watching matches and highlights online than everbefore,” FIFA Director of TV Niclas Ericson said.
On second screens, the FIFA World Cup app for mobile devices has been downloaded more than 10 million times in more than 20broadcast territories since its launch at the start of June, with up to three million fans accessing videos, statistics and live match content each day. According to FIFA.com, 24 million unique usershave already watched some 15 million hours of content through FIFA’s multimedia services alone.