ESPN scored big numbers for the first USA match of the World Cup.
Monday’s United States/Ghana World Cup match earned a 7.0 overnight rating on ESPN, the highest ever for a men’s World Cup match on ESPN or ESPN2, and the networks’ second-highest soccer overnight overall. Only the Japan/United States Women’s World Cup final in 2011 earned a better overnight (8.6). Overnights for the Univision telecast were not available.
The first USA match of the 2010 World Cup earned a 9.0 overnight on broadcast network ABC.
Washington (DC) was the top market for ESPN’s coverage with an 11.8 rating, followed by New York (10.2), Hartford-New Haven (10.1), Boston (10.0) and Columbus, OH (8.9).
The USA/Ghana match led to a three-year high for ESPN’s Major League Baseball coverage. The Mets/Cardinals Monday Night Baseball game drew a 1.4 overnight, the best for a Monday or Wednesday night game on the ESPN family of networks since September 2011. Keep in mind the ESPN telecast was blacked out in St. Louis.
(Mon. overnights from ESPN)
