A hotly-anticipated matchup between the USWNT and Women’s World Cup host France delivered a strong overnight rating on FOX.
Friday’s United States-France FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal earned a 4.9 overnight rating on FOX, up 17% from the USWNT’s 2015 quarterfinal against China, which aired in primetime (4.2), and up 88% from the team’s 2011 quarterfinal against Brazil, which aired on ESPN on a Sunday morning (2.6). Figures include 15 minutes of prematch coverage.
The 4.9 overnight is the highest on record for a Women’s World Cup quarterfinal and the fifth-highest regardless of round. The top four are a 15.6 for the 2015 final, a 13.3 for the 1999 final, an 8.6 for the 2011 final, and a 6.1 for the 2015 U.S.-Germany semifinal.
It is also the highest overnight for a soccer match on English-language television since last year’s World Cup final.
Kansas City led all markets for the match with a 7.9 rating, followed by Washington, D.C. and Austin, Tex. (7.2 each). Tulsa ranked third at a 7.1, with Jacksonville rounding out the top five at a 6.8. Despite the match starting at Noon local time, the Bay Area (6.7) and San Diego (6.6) finished just outside of the top five.
Through Friday, this year’s Women’s World Cup has increased 18% over 2015 in the metered markets. Exact averages were not immediately available.
[Numbers from Fox Sports]
