this is what the soccer moms were doing last night<g> these are huge numbers considering the time differential!!!!!
U.S. win over Portugal sets ESPN2 record for soccer
rating
By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer
June 6, 2002
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The United States' 3-2 upset of Portugal
in the World Cup got the largest audience ever for a soccer game on
ESPN2 despite its early morning start.
The Americans' win on Wednesday night, which began at 5 a.m. EDT,
got a 1.19 rating and was watched in an average of 998,000 households,
Nielsen Media Research said Thursday.
The previous high for ESPN2 was 834,000 households for France's
victory over Italy in the semifinals of the 1998 World Cup.
Through 10 telecasts, ESPN2 is averaging 496,200 households, up from
an average of 292,000 households for 23 games four years ago, when
ESPN2 was received by far fewer homes. The first three telecasts on
ESPN averaged 447,000 households, down from the 670,000 average
for 27 games at the 1998 tournament in France.
Before the win by the United States, its biggest since a 1-0 defeat of
England in 1950, Italy's 2-0 victory over Ecuador on Monday had
attracted the most viewers, 582,000, a 0.7 rating. The least-watched
game was Denmark's 2-1 win over Uruguay on Saturday, which got a
0.29 rating and was seen in 246,000 households.
Because of the time difference between the United States and Japan and
South Korea, where the tournament is being played, games start at 1:30
a.m., 2:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m., 5 a.m., 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. EDT.
Four years ago, when the tournament was in France, games started
mostly in the late morning and midafternoon EDT.
ESPN is received by 86.5 million homes, up from 74 million in 1998,and
ESPN2 is received by 83.6 million, up from 57.7 million.
The rating is the percentage tuned to a broadcast among those homes that
receive the cable network. |
