Univision kicked off its coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in
record ratings form. The Spanish-language rights-holder to the
fútbol
tourney scored with some 5.4 million watchers on average in the U.S.
with the tourney's opener, the 1-1 draw between Mexico and the host
nation South Africa on June 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:09 p.m., according
to Nielsen live + same-day data.
That delivery ranked as the largest
opening-match ever for Univision, according to network officials.
Included in that total were some 3.25 million adults 18 to 49.
The
following Group A match, a scoreless tie between France and Uruguay,
averaged 2.54 million viewers, making it Univision's second-most-watched
opening day match behind Mexico-South Africa.
Together, the two matches averaged 3.99 million viewers, nearly
double the 2 million for the first two matches of the 2006 FIFA World
Cup in Germany.
Given the high Mexican-American composition of
its
audience, Univision not surprisingly outgunned ESPN's opening match
coverage, which scored with 2.6 million watchers on average from 9:25
a.m. to 12:01 p.m. on June 11, a 108% edge for the Spanish-language
network.
Univision officials also said the network held a
signficant
advantage over ESPN with Mexico-South Africa among adults 18 to 49
(101%: 3.25 million vs. 1.62 million adults 18 to 49); persons 18 to 34
(109%: 1.933 million versus 924,359); and persons 12 to 34 (116%: 2.39
million versus 1.11 million).
