One day after a blowout set a ratings record on ESPN, a match that ended in penalty kicks set a new mark.
The Argentina/Netherlands FIFA World Cup semifinal earned a 4.3 overnight rating on ESPN, the highest ever for a World Cup semi on an ESPN network. The previous mark was a 4.1 for Germany/Brazil the previous day. Excluding matches involving the United States, the 4.3 is the fourth-highest for this year’s World Cup on ESPN/ABC.
Overall, ESPN averaged a 4.2 overnight for its coverage of the semifinals, up 50% from 2010 (2.8).
Baltimore was the top market for Wednesday’s match with a 7.1 rating. New York (7.0) ranked second, followed by Washington, DC (6.9) and Hartford-New Haven (6.7), with Miami-Ft. Lauderdale and San Diego rounding out the top five (6.3).
Overnights and local data were not immediately available for the Univision telecast.
(Wed. numbers from ESPN)
