ESPN’s strategy of promoting and maintaining resources for an event that’s in a lame duck year is paying off. The USA-Portugal game struck a huge overnight rating, a 9.1 making it the highest-rated men’s World Cup game on ESPN/ESPN2.
The highest-rated markets are all on the East Coast, Washington, DC, Columbus, OH, Boston, New York, Hartford-New Haven, Providence, Baltimore, Atlanta, Norfolk, VA and Orlando. Amazing stuff.
Here’s the ESPN announcement.
USA-Portugal Scores ESPN’s Highest Overnight Rating for FIFA World Cup Match
Tied for third-highest rating for men’s World Cup across any ESPN network (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2)
ESPN’s USA vs. Portugal telecast on Sunday, a 2-2 tie at Arena da Amazônia in Manaus, averaged a 9.1 overnight rating, making it the highest overnight rating for a World Cup match on ESPN or ESPN2, according to Nielsen.
In addition, the telecast ranks as the third-highest Men’s World Cup match of any round on any ESPN network – tied for ABC’s USA vs. Ghana round of 16 match in 2010; and behind ABC’s presentations of the 1994 World Cup Final featuring Brazil vs. Italy (12.8 overnight rating), and the 1994 USA-Brazil round of 16 match (10.4 rating)
The top-10 metered markets: Washington, DC (13.3), Columbus, Ohio (12.6), New York (12.5), Boston (11.5), Hartford & New Haven (11.3), Providence (11.2), Atlanta (11.1), Baltimore (11.0), Norfolk (10.5), and Orlando (10.5).
To date, the highest-rated markets on the ESPN Networks are: Washington DC (5.0), New York (4.3), San Francisco (4.1), Orlando (3.8), and Los Angeles (3.7).
Final ratings are expected to be available this afternoon.
And I’ll post those final numbers when they become available.
