ESPN’s telecast of the U.S.A. vs. Belgium World Cup match averaged a network record 9.6 overnight rating, according to Nielsen. That marked the highest overnight rating for a World Cup match on ESPN or ESPN2. Belgium earned a 2-1 victory in extra time.
The figure eclipsed the previous World Cup rating record on the network of a 9.1 rating for the USA-Portugal contest on June 22 of this tournament. Making the rating more impressive was that Tuesday’s rating was accomplished with a weekday afternoon game (4 p.m. ET start), unlike the ideal gametime of Sunday afternoon for USA-Portugal.
The only World Cup matches to ever rate higher on English-language television were on ABC: a 12.8 for the 1994 final between Brazil and Italy and a 10.4 for USA-Brazil in that tournament’s second round.
Nielsen said ESPN’s television coverage peaked from 5:45 6 p.m. ET with a 14.1 rating while WatchESPN peaked at 1.5 million concurrent viewers.
The top-10 metered markets were New York (15.0), Hartford/New Haven (13.2), Washington, D.C., (12.8), Richmond (12.3), Boston (12.2), West Palm Beach (12.0), Baltimore (11.4), Cincinnati (11.4), San Diego (11.0), Columbus (10.8), Norfolk (10.8) and Orlando (10.8).
To date through the U.S./Belgium match, the highest-rated markets on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC are: Washington DC (4.5), New York (4.2), San Francisco (3.9), Los Angeles (3.6), San Diego (3.5), Orlando (3.5), Hartford/New Haven (3.5), Miami/Fort Lauderdale (3.4), West Palm Beach (3.4), Richmond (3.3) and Boston (3.3).
