Does anybody really watch the World Cup in the US? Yes. A new Nielsen survey shows that the largest U.S. audience to view the opening round of the World Cup (2.1 million viewers; 0.8% persons rating)
was on ABC, in which England and Sweden tied 1-1, on June 2, at Saitama, Japan. ABC aired the game on tape delay at 4:00 p.m. (East Coast time). More than two million viewers in the U.S. (0.5% persons
rating, combined telecasts) watched the U.S. defeat Portugal, 3-2, at Suwon, South Korea on June 5. The game began just before 5:00 a.m. (East Coast time) on ESPN2, and was televised again by ESPN2
at 3 p.m. Of course, on a worldwide basis, the event is huge. According to Nielsen, more than 31 million people in 17 countries tuned in to see Senegal’s first-round victory over France Media
Research. The May 31 match – in which Senegal bested the heavily favored France, 1-0, in Seoul, South Korea – drew its largest audience in China, where the game was seen by 9.1 million people. That
translates to a 24% rating.
