Articles

July 8, 2014
 

WORLD CUP SKEDBALL: Quarterfinals Ratings (part 1)

Demographic ratings for the Quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup are starting to roll in.  The two matches on Friday July 4 were a mixed bag.  The 11:30 am match on ESPN2 (Germany vs France) averaged 4.2 million viewers of any age, ranking #14 out of 58 matches for this year’s World Cup but the second-lowest of the Knockout Stage matches to date.  But then again it was in the dreaded 11:30 am weekday position, which even on a national holiday is a tough time period.  Plus the match was on ESPN2 which tends to depress the rating.  Further, the demographic ratings in the young adult and young male categories were well below the 2014 Knockout Stage averages and quite close to the 2010 Knockout Stage averages.

Nevertheless, the 11:30 am match on ESPN2 still vastly out-rated big brother ESPN at the same time, which was broadcasting Wimbledon coverage to a not so burly 1.2 million viewers 2+ audience between 8 am and 2 pm.  Note that the Friday Wimbledon coverage had less than half the audience of a true gem, the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest from Coney Island on ESPN2 at 2:03 pm, which averaged 2.8 million viewers 2+ and a not-chopped-liver 1.10 adult 18-49 rating.

The World Cup tournament got back on track for American viewers at 3:30 pm Friday on ESPN with Brazil vs Colombia, averaging 5.7 million total viewers (ranking #7 overall and slightly above the Knockout Stage average so far).  The demographic ratings for Brazil vs Colombia were very close to the Knockout Stage averages for 2014 to date and well above the 2010 Knockout Stage averages (also in the table below).

World Cup 2014 — U.S. Television Ratings Total Viewers Demographic Ratings
Rank Day Date Start ET Net Match (winner listed first) Score Persons 2+ Adults 18-49 Men 18-49 Men 18-34
Most Recent Matches (including rank out of 58)
8. Sat Jun 28 11:30 am ABC Brazil vs Chile 1-1 (3-2) 5,674,000 2.26 3.07 2.81
9. Sat Jun 28 3:30 pm ABC Colombia vs Uruguay 2-0 5,316,000 2.09 2.87 2.80
6. Sun Jun 29 11:30 am ESPN Netherlands vs Mexico 2-1 5,743,000 2.39 3.34 3.14
5. Sun Jun 29 3:30 pm ESPN Costa Rica vs Greece 1-1 (5-3) 5,896,000 2.46 3.48 3.26
35. Mon Jun 30 11:30 am ESPN France vs Nigeria 2-0 2,527,000 1.01 1.48 1.59
13. Mon Jun 30 3:30 pm ESPN Germany vs Algeria 2-1 4,306,000 1.71 2.46 2.43
28. Tue Jul 1 11:30 pm ESPN Argentina vs Switzerland 1-0 3,173,000 1.23 1.82 1.97
2. Tue Jul 1 3:30 pm ESPN Belgium vs USA 2-1 13,440,000 4.61 6.04 6.13
14. Fri Jul 4 11:30 am ESPN2 Germany vs France 1-0 4,233,000 1.76 2.35 2.28
7. Fri Jul 4 3:30 pm ESPN Brazil vs Colombia 2-1 5,683,000 2.20 2.98 2.86
Averages by Tournament Stage
Jun 12-Jun 26 Group Stage (ESPN/ABC/ESPN2) 3,112,000 1.28 1.82 1.86
Jun 28-Jul 4 Knockout Stage (ESPN/ABC/ESPN2) 5,559,000 2.17 2.99 2.93
Daypart Averages to Date (USA Matches and ESPN2 Excluded)
Mon-Fri 11:30 pm ESPN 2,184,000 0.89 1.34 1.48
Mon-Fri 2:30/3:30 ESPN 3,155,000 1.28 1.88 2.04
Mon-Fri 5:30 pm ESPN 3,098,000 1.34 1.95 2.00
Sat-Sun 11:30/2:30 ESPN/ABC 4,684,000 1.92 2.67 2.50
Sat-Sun 5:30/8:30 ESPN/ABC 3,900,000 1.68 2.37 2.25
World Cup 2010 Comparisons
ESPN Averages
var June 11-July 7 ESPN All Live 2010 Matches 2,281,000 1.03 1.55 1.63
var June 11-July 7 ESPN 2010 USA Matches 5,038,000 2.19 3.14 3.34
var June 11-25 ESPN Group Stage Live Matches 2,131,000 0.97 1.47 1.57
var June 26-July 7 ESPN Knockout Stage Live Matches 2,792,000 1.21 1.79 1.85

Note: The next update with detailed demographic ratings will come tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, when the ratings for ESPN on Saturday July 5 will be released.

 



About the Author

Mitch Metcalf
MITCH METCALF has been tracking every US film release of over 500 screens (over 2300 movies and counting) since the storied weekend of May 20, 1994, when Maverick and Beverly Hills Cop 3 inspired countless aficionados to devote their lives to the art of cinema. Prior to that, he studied Politics and Economics at Princeton in order to prepare for his dream of working in television. He has been Head of West Coast Research at ABC, then moved to NBC in 2000 and became Head of Scheduling for 11 years.