EPL Talk » ABC

ABC Gets 3.1 Overnight Rating For Spain-Germany Final: So What’s Next For ESPN?

Jeff Hash — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:09:00 +0000

Sunday afternoon’s Euro 2008 final between Spain and Germany on ABC was watched by 2.4 million overnight households according to numbers announced by Nielsen Media Research. That gives the broadcast a 3.1 overnight rating based on the 77 million households in America which make up the overnight numbers. That number is a little more than double the 1.5 overnight rating ABC got for its broadcast of the Netherlands v Russia quarterfinal last weekend.

So, first, a quick dose of reality; the number obviously pales in comparison to the 8.6 overnight rating the network got for the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy. That’s not a surprise given the higher profile of the World Cup, but it shows there were a considerable number of casual sports viewers who have watched soccer and did not tune in. Also, that number is certain to go down once the last batch of households with televisions, mostly in rural areas, are counted up later in the week. For example, the Netherlands-Russia match saw a 20% drop in its rating once these were added, going from 1.5 to 1.2. Assuming a similar percentage drop for this match would put the final rating down to around 2.5.

However, that number also gives ESPN and owner Disney a reason to smile. At 2.5, ABC’s performance for the Euro 2008 final would equal the national rating picked up by Univision for its American broadcast of another continental championship: last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup final between the United States and Mexico. What this shows is that there is a noteworthy, if smaller, audience on American television for big event international soccer outside the World Cup, both with and without local teams to drive it.

So, what does ESPN do now? Well, while these results are good, it’d be hard to justify using them for the purpose of adding European league soccer, given they are far more dragged out events (months instead of weeks) and can’t guarantee big star affairs every single time. On top of that, most of the European leagues already have deals for this season tied up. And for next season, the only contracts due to run out in the US are for Spain’s La Liga and Germany’s Bundesliga. It’d be hard to capitalize on the momentum of this tournament without any big leagues coming straight away to the network.

What ESPN could do next, however, is try to solidify their position as the home of big event international soccer. The network already has the rights to next year’s Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup. 2011 could see the network try to pick up the Gold Cup or Copa America, either of which offer English and Spanish language possibilities, and then ESPN would finish the cycle by getting Euro 2012. Another move might see ESPN expand its portfolio when it comes to online broadcast rights through ESPN360. They already have the online rights to Serie A and the Russian Premier League, and most American broadcasters have done little in this area to make use of those rights. The other networks might be receptive to parting with their online rights to pick up some additional cash. ESPN360 was a major success during the tournament, with eight of it’s 10 most watched single events being Euro 2008 matches, and it’s an area they can try to expand on right away.

Wherever it goes from here, Euro 2008 represents a step forward for soccer on ESPN, and is a moment worth celebrating. Now fans will have to wait and see for what the network’s next step ahead is going to be.

Spain-Italy Most Watched Match So Far And Other ESPN Euro Ratings News

Jeff Hash — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:56:10 +0000

As we head into the final weekend of Euro 2008, ESPN decided to take the occasion yesterday to put out a new press release talking about how the tournament is doing viewership wise through the quarterfinal round. So, what did they have to say?

As noted in the headline, the Spain v Italy quarterfinal shown on ESPN Sunday was the most watched Euro 2008 match before the semifinals. The game scored a 1.4 rating, with 1.39 million homes and 1.91 million viewers tuning in. Given these were two of the highest-profile teams in the tournament, the result doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Overall, in six matches shown on the ESPN, the average rating is a .9, with 835,000 homes and 1.1 million viewers. Compared to the same time slot (2:30-5PM eastern) on ESPN in 2007, this represents an 80% increase in rating, a 90% increase in households, and a 116% increase in total viewers from the network average.

Meanwhile, ESPN2 in 16 matches aired has a .5 rating with 506,000 homes and 635,000 viewers, which respectively represent a 67%, 59%, and 75% increase on ESPN2’s average for the same time slot in 2007. And the online video service ESPN360 has had it’s biggest month in history between Euro 2008, the US Open, and Wimbledon, with eight of the 10 most viewed single events being Euro matches.

As for the one game broadcast on ABC, the Netherlands v Russia quarterfinal finished with a 1.2 rating and 1.84 million viewers according to ratings site TV by the Numbers. Compared to other Saturday afternoon sports broadcasts, it roughly fell in the middle of the pack. The match finished well behind FOX Saturday Baseball and the Men’s Gymnastics Olympic Trials on NBC, but it did finish ahead of the rest of NBC’s afternoon sports lineup and the PGA Tour on CBS.

Overall, the ratings seem fairly positive given this is an event without an obvious American interest and with most of its matches falling in the middle of the workday. Positive enough to ensure its return in four years time, or to cause ESPN to bring in more European soccer? We will have to wait and see. For now, the focus will be on a big finish with Sunday’s soccer doubleheader on ABC, with the LA Galaxy playing DC United in MLS action before the Germany v Spain final.

The Pitfalls Of Watching Soccer On Satellite TV

The Gaffer — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:08:20 +0000

Sometimes readers ask me why I don’t have DirecTV or DISH Network. One of the main reasons why was on display today, and it’s definitely one of the pitfalls of watching soccer on satellite television.The culprit is the weather in South Florida. During the summer here, you can almost guarantee that by 2pm that the major thunderstorms will roll in and the rain comes pouring down. When that happens, you lose the satellite signal and you have to wait for the storm to pass before the TV programming returns. Sometimes that can be 20 minutes or more.

When your satellite signal is at the mercy of the weather, there’s no telling when it’ll ruin your soccer watching experience. This is exactly what happened today. Watching the Russia against Holland quarter-final in a local pub, the DirecTV signal was lost two to three times during the match, leaving us with blank screens for several minutes during the match.

The worst part of this is that we missed a key moment in the match near the end of the 90 minutes. When we frustratingly lost the DirecTV signal around the 80th minute mark, several of the pub patrons pulled out their Blackberry’s to give us updates on the game as we waited for the ABC signal to return. One of the customers yelped that Ruud van Nistelrooy just scored an equalizer. It’s one thing to see the goal in person, but when you hear someone blurt it out after reading it on a Blackberry, it pissed me off because I wasn’t able to see it on TV.

Hurricane season in Florida is from June 1st to November 30. So for six months out of the year, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to watch your soccer matches when you want to.

Cable is definitely the better option but Setanta Sports isn’t available on Comcast. Unless a major announcement will be made this summer, I may sign up for Setanta Broadband instead.

ESPN2 Sees 64% Increase in Households For Euro ‘08 Over Network Average

Jeff Hash — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:12:04 +0000

If you happen to notice a sense of relief coming from ESPN in the last few days, there is a reason for it. It’s because, while they are not coming in World Cup numbers, viewers are tuning in to the network’s broadcasts of Euro 2008.

ESPN announced today that, for the 15 Euro 2008 matches shown on ESPN2 through Tuesday, June 17th, the average rating for the tournament is .5, with 521,000 homes tuning in and 655,000 viewers. Compared to the network average for the same time block (Noon to 5PM eastern) in 2007, this represents a 64% increase in households tuned in to ESPN2 (2007 average of 318,000 homes), a 67% increase in rating, and an 81% increase in viewers (2007 average of 362,000 viewers). The most watched match of the tournament on ESPN2 was this past Saturday between Sweden and Spain. The match netted a .9 rating from 831,000 homes and 1.01 million viewers.

In addition to ESPN2, the Spanish-language broadcasts on ESPN Deportes have been averaging an additional 74,000 Hispanic homes per match. This puts the combined household average of ESPN2 and Deportes for each match at just shy of 600,000 homes. Interestingly, the most watched match on Deportes so far is the opening-day broadcast of Portugal v Turkey, seen in 123,000 Hispanic homes.

Along with the viewership on TV, ESPN is also getting more eyeballs online. ESPN’s Soccernet website has averaged over 1 million daily visits during the tournament, an 82 percent increase over the same period during Euro 2004. The tournament is also contributing to ESPN360’s most watched month online since it’s relaunch in September of last year.

With increased viewership being seen on cable, ESPN will now be hoping for a successful jump to broadcast TV with the Netherlands v Russia quarterfinal this Saturday and the final next Sunday on ABC. But for now, programmers will be breathing a little easier at the worldwide leader in sports.