Women's World Cup ratings off to roaring start, up 11 percent over 2015
The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup is well underway, and TV viewers already can’t get enough.
Overall ratings for the first two days of the tournament are up from four years ago, and not just by single digits. The ratings for the first two days in France, which didn’t feature any United States matches, are up 11 percent over the first two days from the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada.
Through 2⃣days of action, the #FIFAWWC continues to post ratings increases 📈 pic.twitter.com/SeTFnkGTNg
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) June 9, 2019
When you compare those ratings to the 2011 Women’s World Cup, you can really see how much the sport has grown. The 2019 ratings are up 79 percent over eight years ago, and the tournament has only just begun.
The first day alone, which featured a showpiece 4-0 win for France over South Korea, was up 16 percent over 2015.
Day 1 of the 2019 #FIFAWWC, featuring a dominant 4-0 win for #FRA over #KOR on @FS1, posted ratings increases over the 2015 Women's World Cup opening day. 📈 pic.twitter.com/SsUyy4FTJv
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) June 8, 2019
The streaming numbers are eye-opening. A 375 percent increase really shows how much more common (and easier) it is to stream live sports now than it was four years ago.
The hotly contested match between England and Scotland was the crown jewel (get it?) of Day 2. It was a tense, close match that England won 2-1, and many people across the pond tuned in.
England’s victory over Scotland in their opening game of the World Cup yesterday attracted a peak of 6.1m watching on TV and 37.8% share of available audience making it the UK’s most watched women’s football game of all time.
— Dan Roan (@danroan) June 10, 2019
The most-watched soccer match in American history, men’s or women’s, is still the 2015 World Cup final. That England’s most-watched women’s match is now a group stage game on Day 2 is pretty incredible, and that means the ceiling for Women’s World Cup ratings is really, really high. We’re not even at the knockout stage yet.
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