Who said televising World Cup games in the middle of the night would hurt ESPN's viewership? According to the network, the first nine broadcasts on ESPN2 averaged 440,000 television households, up
from an average of 292,000 households for 23 games four years ago, when ESPN2 was received by fewer homes. The first three telecasts on ESPN averaged 447,000 households, down from the 670,000 average
for 27 games at the 1998 tournament in France. Italy's 2-0 victory over Ecuador on Monday got the most viewers, 582,000,and a 0.7 rating. The least-watched game was Denmark's 2-1 win over Uruguay on
Saturday, which got a 0.29 rating and was seen in 246,000 households.
