The 2010 FIFA World Cup got off to a rousing start on ABC.
ABC drew a 9.0 overnight rating for Saturday’s USA/England World Cup match, up 73% from the network’s first USA World Cup match in 2006 (5.2), and one of the highest overnight ratings ever for the World Cup on U.S. television.
The full telecast, including pregame coverage, drew a 7.5 overnight.
To put the numbers in perspective, Saturday’s telecast drew a higher overnight rating than any game of the recently completed Stanley Cup Final, including Game 6 (5.8). However, the 9.0 overnight for the match trails every game of the ongoing NBA Finals (10.4, 10.9, 11.5 and 11.6).
San Diego led all markets with an 11.5 for Saturday’s match, followed by San Francisco (11.2), Las Vegas (11.0), Cincinnati (10.8) and Salt Lake City (10.2).
