According to Fox, the number of people watching the USWNT’s Women’s World Cup opener against Vietnam almost doubled compared to their first match in 2019.
The game, which was aired in prime time, attracted 5.261 million viewers.
The USWNT had a successful start to their quest for a third consecutive title, defeating Vietnam 3-0 in Auckland. The English-language broadcast reached its highest viewership at 6.552 million.
The number of viewers for the USWNT’s opening match in the 2023 campaign increased by 99% compared to their 2019 match, which was aired in the middle of the day on the East Coast.
This year’s numbers were also 59% higher than the equivalent match in 2015, which was broadcast on Fox’s FS1 channel.
However, the primetime slot for this year’s match had to compete for attention with Lionel Messi’s highly anticipated debut in Major League Soccer.
Messi’s match, which started about an hour before the US team’s game, attracted a star-studded crowd and ended with a victory scored in stoppage time.
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