• The Hollywood Reporter, Tuesday, June 15, 2010 12:21 AM

Univision said Sunday that its broadcast of the opening match of the soccer World Cup featuring Mexico against hosts South Africa brought in record ratings for a first-day game in the tournament, and its overall opening day coverage nearly doubled the average ratings for the 2006 Cup, noted The Hollywood Reporter.

Per Nielsen data, the Spanish-language network said it delivered an average of 4 million total viewers ages 2-plus for the opening day and 5.4 million for the first game. It said ESPN reached 2.6 million for the latter. Univision also said it reached 3.2 million viewers among the key demo of adults 18 to 49. ESPN reached 1.6 million, it said.

The World Cup this year is expected to achieve record global viewership, with the total audience figure increasing by at least 5% compared to the 2006 tournament, per IPG's Initiative, notes Brand Republic. The 2010 FIFA World Cup is also set to enjoy a record number of female viewers, with the female share of viewing expected to rise from 41% in 2006, to 42% this year.

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