ESPN is certainly happy that there’s still interest in the World Cup despite the United States being eliminated earlier this week.
Brazil vs. Colombia is now the most-watched World Cup quarterfinal on the networks of ESPN garnering a 3.6 fast national rating and just under 6.35 million viewers. So to the detractors of soccer and the World Cup, note the interest. Yes, it’s lower than the 21.6 million that watched US-Belgium on ESPN and Univision, but it showed people are still interested.
Granted, the numbers include pregame coverage, but they are still respectable.
Here’s the press release.
Brazil-Colombia: Most-Watched FIFA World Cup Quarterfinal Match on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC
Double Digit Increases Across ESPN’s Digital Media Platforms
ESPN’s presentation of Friday’s Brazil vs. Colombia match, a 2-1 Brazil victory at Estadio Castelão in Fortaleza, was seen by an average audience of 6,349,000 viewers based on a 3.6 fast national rating, according to Nielsen, making it the most-watched FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match across all networks in the United States. The viewership surpassed the previous high for a World Cup quarterfinal: 5,714,000 viewers for ABC’s Argentina vs. Germany broadcast on July 3, 2010 in South Africa.
The top 10 markets for Brazil-Colombia: New York (6.5), Hartford/New Haven (6.5), San Francisco (6.3), San Diego (6.3), Providence (6.1), Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (5.9), Washington, DC (5.7), Boston (5.7), Los Angeles (5.6) and Las Vegas (5.5).
France vs. Germany:
The earlier match on Friday (France vs. Germany on ESPN2) delivered an average audience of 4,889,000 viewers and a 2.9 rating. Top 10 markets: Hartford/New Haven (6.6), San Francisco (5.6), San Diego (5.4), Washington, DC (5.4), New York (5.3), Boston (5.1), Los Angeles (4.5), Baltimore (4.2), Seattle/Tacoma (4.0) and Sacramento (3.9).
WatchESPN, ESPN.com and ESPNFC.com Growth Over 2010
- Through 58 matches, WatchESPN is averaging 832,000 unique viewers and 37 million total minutes per match, reflecting increases of 168 percent and 165 percent respectively from 2010
- In addition, SportsCenter App is averaging 3.6 million unique visitors per day, an increase of 403 percent from 2010.
- ESPNFC.com is averaging 5.4 million video starts per day, up 872 percent from 2010.
Significant Television Viewership Increases Over 2010 and 2006
Through 58 matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC are averaging 4,133,000 viewers and a 2.6 US household rating per match. The 2014 audience marks increases of 45 percent and 124 percent (vs. 2,853,000 in 2010 and 1,849,000 in 2006) in viewers, and 37 percent and 100 percent in ratings (vs. 1.9 in 2010 and 1.3 in 2006) (Note: Ratings and viewership numbers are based on the specific match windows, not including pre-match studio coverage.)
The highest-rated markets for World Cup matches on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC: Washington DC (4.5), New York (4.3), San Francisco (4.0), Los Angeles (3.7) and San Diego (3.6), Hartford/New Haven (3.6), Orlando (3.5), Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (3.4), West Palm Beach (3.4) and Richmond (3.3).
That is all.
