Women’s World Cup final sets soccer ratings record in U.S.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The USA’s 5-2 victory over Japan on Sunday in the Women’s World Cup final has set a new ratings high for a soccer telecast in the U.S.
Fox Sports reports that the 7-9 p.m. ET telecast averaged a 15.2 household rating and 27 share in Nielsen’s 56 overnight metered markets. According to Fox, that marks a new high for a soccer telecast on a single network, topping the previous mark set in 1999 when the USA women last claimed the World Cup in a victory over China.
According to Fox, Sunday’s overnights are up 77% over ESPN’s telecast of the 2011 Women’s World Cup, when Japan beat the USA. The game proved a star-making showcase for USA player Carli Lloyd (pictured), who scored three goals within the first 20 minutes of play.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sunday’s viewership peaked in the final 15 minutes of the telecast at 18.3/31.
The top five markets for the game were in the Midwest and Southwest: Kansas City (20.6/35), St. Louis (20.5/33), San Diego (19.5/41), Denver (19.4/36) and Austin (19.1/37).
More detailed Nielsen ratings for the telecast will be available later today.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Soccer dominated the first half of primetime on Sunday, cutting into the ratings for 8 p.m. firstrun series “Big Brother” on CBS (1.6/5 in 18-49, 5.1 million viewers overall) and “Celebrity Family Feud” on ABC (1.5/5 in 18-49, 6.9 million viewers overall), both of which hit season lows in Nielsen’s preliminary national estimates. Following “Family Feud” on ABC, “Battlebots” also posted its lowest scores to date (1.2/4 in 18-49, 4.3 million viewers overall).