UEFA EURO 2012 Delivers Double-Digit Audience Increases on ESPN

via press release:

UEFA EURO 2012 Delivers Double-Digit Audience Increases on ESPN

Triple-Digit Viewership Increases vs. 2008 on ESPN Deportes; Audience for ESPN Digital Platforms Grows

Through the 24 matches in the group stage of the UEFA European Football Championship 2012, ESPN’s live English-language presentation is averaging 784,000 households and 1,002,000 viewers -- up 79 percent and 82 percent, respectively, versus the group stage matches in 2008 (439,000 households and 552,000 viewers).

The most-watched match in the group stage was a 1-1 tie in Group C between Spain and Italy on Sunday, June 10 – seen by an average audience of 2.113 million viewers.  This audience was larger than any of the 31 telecasts in 2008, except the final on ABC.  That game, Germany vs. Spain, was watched by an average of 3.760 million viewers.

The top 10 metered markets through the group stage include: New York (1.6), Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (1.6), Providence (1.3), Los Angeles (1.2), Washington, DC (1.2), Richmond, Va. (1.1), Atlanta (1.1), San Francisco (1.0), Jacksonville (1.0), and Austin, Texas (1.0).

UEFA EURO 2012 delivered eight of the top audiences in the group stage of the tournament in 2008 and 2012:

ESPN Deportes:

ESPN’s 24-hour Spanish-language sports network has also delivered strong audience for UEFA EURO 2012 group stage matches, averaging 161,000 Hispanic households and 228,000 Hispanic viewers  (P2+) – up 123 percent and 138 percent, respectively, compared to the group stage matches in 2008 (73,000 Hispanic households and 96,000 Hispanic viewers).

ESPN Digital Platforms:

From June 8-19, through the group stage of EURO 2012, ESPNFC.com and ESPNsoccernet Gamecast globally averaged one million daily visitors, 4.2 million page views per day and 16.1 million minutes per day (source: Adobe/Omniture).  Compared to ESPNsoccernet.com during the same time period for EURO 2008, the site is up 44 percent, 38 percent and 240 percent, respectively.  In total, ESPNFC.com, ESPNsoccernet.com and ESPNdeportes.com generated 52.8 million total page views during the group stage, up 38 percent compared to EURO 2008.

Mobile coverage of the EURO 2012 group stage across ESPNFC, ESPNsoccernet and ESPNdeportes mobile Web sites as well as the ESPNsoccernet app for iPhone and Android logged an average of 1.5 million page views per day, up 573 percent compared to the EURO 2008.

Through the end of group play across computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox, ESPN3 and WatchESPN logged an average minute audience of 76,300 per game and a total of 262.5 million minutes across all twelve days to both English and Spanish language feeds.  On computers alone, there were a total of 1.7 million unique viewers.  Additionally, fans consumed 230 million minutes on computers, up 645 percent compared to EURO 2008.

Netherlands vs. Germany was the highest performing match during the group stage on ESPN3 and WatchESPN, logging 395,000 unique viewers, 17.3 million minutes and an average minute audience of 115,283.

UEFA EURO 2012 Continues on ESPN Networks with the Quarterfinal Matches

Beginning Thursday, June 21, through Sunday, June 24, ESPN networks will televise one quarterfinal match of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship each day at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.

Highlights:

• Lead English-language commentators Ian Darke and Steve McManaman will be joined by the announce team of Adrian Healey and Robbie Mustoe in Poland and Ukraine to call all elimination round matches live from site;
• Spanish commentator teams – Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra, and Fernando Palomo and Rafa Puente – will call all elimination round matches on ESPN Deportes from site, as well;
• The top two quarterfinal matchups: World No. 6 England vs. No. 12 Italy (Sunday, June 24) from Olympic Stadium in Kiev, and No.1 Spain vs. No. 14 France (Saturday, June 23) from Donbass Arena in Donetsk;
• Host Bob Ley with analysts Michael Ballack, Alexi Lalas and Taylor Twellman will provide English-language studio analysis;
• ESPN Deportes’ Jose Ramon Fernandez (primary host) with analysts Mario Kempes, Tato Noriega and Andres Agulla will provide Spanish-language studio commentary.

Match schedule (Subject to change):

UEFA EURO 2012 and Major League Soccer Doubleheader Sunday on ESPN:

ESPN and ESPN3 will combine to present back-to-back soccer matches on Sunday, June 24, beginning with the UEFA EURO 2012 quarterfinal – England vs. Italy – match from Kiev, Ukraine, at 2:30 p.m., followed immediately by   Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders in a Cascadia Cup (awarded to the Pacific Northwest’s best soccer team each season) match.  Play-by-play commentator Glenn Davis and analyst Kasey Keller will call the match.