Univision really won out with its broadcast of the 2011 Concacaf Gold Cup Final. The 4-2 victory for Mexico over the U.S. got 7.98 million total viewers, a nearly 50 percent improvement from the 5.38 million viewers in 2009.
U.S. coach Bob Bradley noted after the game that the overwhelming number of green-shirted partisans in the stands made it seem like a home game for Mexico. (An estimated 80 percent of the 93,420 fans in attendance were supporting the visiting squad.) wrote Anthony Crupi. That disparity was reflected in the ratings. Univision s broadcast drew 4.72 million viewers in the adult 18-49 demo, topping Game 7 of the Bruins-Canucks Stanley Cup Final on NBC (4.44 million).
By contrast the English-language broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel averaged 1.1 million viewers. Univision saw greater than seven times the delivery of Fox Soccer Channel.
Saturday s match now ranks as the third-most watched sporting event in Univision history, notes Crupi. Trailing only the 2010 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Mexico and Argentina (9.36 million) and last year s Final (Spain v. Netherlands, 8.82 million viewers).
Source: AdWeek
