Yesterday’s World Cup Final between Spain and the Netherlands drew a total of 24.3 million U.S. viewers, making it the most watched soccer game in U.S. television history, according to The Nielsen Company. The figure, which includes viewership on both ABC and Univision during the two-and-a-half-hour game window (2:30 to 5pm ET), surpasses the record of 19.4 million viewers that tuned in to the U.S.-Ghana match earlier in this World Cup.
| Most Watched Soccer Games in the U.S. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Date | Game | Network(s) | Viewers |
| 1 | 7/11/2010 | Spain-Netherlands | ABC/Univision | 24.3 million |
| 2 | 6/26/2010 | USA-Ghana | ABC/Univision | 19.4 million |
| 3 | 7/17/1994 | Brazil-Italy | ABC/Univision | 18.1 million |
| 4 | 7/10/1999 | USA-China (women) | ABC | 18.0 million |
| 5 | 6/12/2010 | USA-England | ABC/Univision | 17.1 million |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
San Francisco was the top ranked market for the English language broadcast with a 14.5 local household rating. San Diego placed second with a 13.6 household rating, followed bythe New York market with a 13.1 rating.
| 2010 World Cup Finals (7/11/10) Local Market Rankings – English Language |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Market | Rating | Share | Households (000) |
| 1 | San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose | 14.7 | 36 | 367 |
| 2 | San Diego | 13.6 | 28 | 146 |
| 3 | New York | 13.1 | 30 | 984 |
| 4 | MIami-Ft. Lauderdale | 12.0 | 22 | 184 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | 11.9 | 25 | 277 |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 11.3 | 24 | 642 |
| 7 | Austin | 10.3 | 21 | 70 |
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma | 10.0 | 26 | 183 |
| 9 | Cincinnati | 9.5 | 19 | 87 |
| 10 | Boston (Manchester) | 9.1 | 22 | 220 |
|
Source: The Nielsen Company |
The Spanish Language telecast on Univision earned its highest ratings in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale with a 16.8 rating. Los Angeles and Houston followed with 11.5 and 10.2 local household ratings, respectively.
| 2010 World Cup Finals (7/11/10) Local Market Rankings – Spanish Language |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Market | Rating | Share | Households (000) |
| 1 | Miami-Ft. Lauderdale | 16.8 | 31 | 259 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 11.9 | 25 | 675 |
| 3 | Houston | 10.7 | 21 | 228 |
| 4 | Las Vegas | 8.1 | 15 | 59 |
| 5 | San Antonio | 6.7 | 13 | 56 |
| 6 | Dallas-Ft. Worth | 6.6 | 14 | 169 |
| 7 | Phoenix | 5.6 | 12 | 104 |
| 8 | New York | 5.4 | 12 | 404 |
| 9 | Austin | 5.1 | 10 | 35 |
| 10 | Chicago | 4.5 | 10 | 158 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
