Team USA vs. Ghana World Cup Match - H 2014
AP ImagesTeam USA’s first game — and win — of the 2014 FIFA World Cup was the biggest thing on TV this Monday.
With the ESPN telecast alone outranking every broadcast for the day with 11.1 million viewers and a massive 4.1 rating among adults 18-49, adding the Univision coverage makes the game the biggest soccer outing for American audiences since the 2010 World Cup Final.
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For ESPN, it marks the network’s highest-rated telecast since the BCS Championship Game on Jan. 6.
The American team’s first spin in Brazil proved a bigger interest on the English-language channel, though Univision’s Spanish-language coverage still averaged 4.8 million viewers. The network clocked an additional 1.7 million views from streams.
The surge follows optimistic overnight returns for the Monday evening match. Its 7.0 rating marked a World Cup best for ESPN, including last year’s final — which simulcast on ABC and the biggest percentage of the audience.
