NEW YORK: The average American TV audience for the first three World Cup games was up 68 percent compared to the same amount of coverage in 2006, Nielsen said.
On average, 11.1 million viewers watched the English- and Spanish-language broadcasts for each of USA’s three 2010 World Cup matches. In 2006, USA’s three group stage games averaged 6.6 million viewers.
In terms of individual games, USA’s June 12, 2010, draw with England attracted 17.1 million viewers. The June 18 draw with Slovenia drew 7.5 million. The 1-0 victory over Algeria brought in 8.6 million.
“These ratings demonstrate the remarkable increase of interest in U.S. soccer over the last four years,” said Stephen Master, vice president of sports for Nielsen. “The numbers are even more impressive when you consider that two of these games were played on weekday mornings, when many viewers are at work. Although more people than ever chose to watch live streaming video of the games from their computers and mobile devices, TV viewing climbed even higher.”
Deborah D. McAdams
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