World Cup Audience Ratings

England versus Argentina proved to be the most popular match with FIFA World Cup viewers during the week of June 3-9. It succeeded in capturing the largest overall audience so far, placing it within the top five worldwide, according to new Nielsen Media Research data.

The preliminary audience estimates show that more than 36 million people in Nielsen's measured markets viewed the June 7 match - won by England, 1-0. Only France-Senegal, with 38 million viewers on May 31, drew a larger World Cup audience this year.

The England-Argentina match, at Sapporo, Japan, grabbed the largest TV audience for the week in Australia, Canada, Finland, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United States, among the Nielsen countries reporting results. The contest was also among the top five most-watched matches in China, Hong Kong, Ireland, South Africa, South Korea and Taiwan.

In the United States, the match was seen by more than three million viewers, combined, when it was telecast live by ESPN2 at 7:30 a.m. (U.S. Eastern time) and shown on tape delay by ABC at 1:30 p.m. that day. The combined audience surpassed the two million people who watched England vs. Sweden on June 2, and the USA vs. Portugal on June 5. Among Hispanic viewers, Univision's live telecast of the England-Argentina match drew an audience of more than one million.

However, as popular as England-Argentina was with viewers, it was eclipsed by TV audiences in the home countries of teams competing for the World Cup. The largest single-country audience for the World Cup thus far was in South Korea, where a combined total of more than 14 million people saw the Korea Republic defeat Poland, 2-0, on June 4. The match at Busan, South Korea, was carried simultaneously on three channels and, along with replay telecasts, captured a combined 56 percent of the country's potential viewing audience.

Other teams to draw large audiences in their home countries include:

• China - An estimated 10.7 million viewers in the country's 11 largest cities (about 28 percent of the potential audience) watched Brazil defeat the People's Republic of China, 4-0, on June 8 from Seogwipo, South Korea.
  
• South Africa - Approximately 1.9 million people (14 percent of the potential audience) saw South Africa defeat Slovenia, 1-0, at Daegu, South Korea.
  
• Ireland - An estimated 726,000 people (20 percent of the potential audience) tuned in as Ireland battled Germany to a 1-1 draw in Ibaraki, Japan, on June 5.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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