Title: Time Difference Challenges U.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s Viewership for Remaining Women’s World Cup Matches
In an exciting start to their Women’s World Cup journey, the United States women’s soccer team has enjoyed a dedicated and enthusiastic fan base, as demonstrated by the impressive average combined English- and Spanish-language audience of 5,256,000 for their group stage matches. However, as the tournament progresses, the team faces a new challenge: overnight matches due to the time difference between the host countries and the United States.
Upcoming U.S. matches will take place in Australia and New Zealand, which are 14-16 hours ahead of New York and 17-19 hours ahead of Los Angeles. This significant time difference poses a difficulty in replicating the high viewership numbers seen during the group stage matches.
Fox President, Mike Mulvihill, acknowledged the lack of flexibility in changing the schedule for the knockout rounds but praised FIFA for their assistance in ensuring the group stage matches received prime time exposure. The July 21 match against Vietnam and July 26 match against the Netherlands drew the largest combined audiences for a group stage match involving the American women, both in prime time.
Despite one of the matches taking place at the challenging time of 3 a.m. EDT, the overall ratings for the U.S. group stage matches increased by 11% compared to the previous Women’s World Cup held in France four years ago. Impressively, Spanish-language average viewership rose by an impressive 57%, with streaming accounting for 40% of the viewership.
However, as the tournament progressed and the time difference became more pronounced, the viewership for subsequent matches has struggled to maintain momentum. Fox and FS1 experienced a 37% decrease in viewership compared to the 2019 edition, while Spanish-language viewership saw a 30% decrease compared to four years ago.
As it stands, the Women’s World Cup is now averaging 610,000 viewers on Fox and FS1, along with an additional 135,000 viewers across Telemundo, Peacock, Universo, and Telemundo streaming platforms. While these numbers reflect a decline in viewership, it is important to recognize the impact of the challenging time difference that the U.S. audience has had to contend with.
As viewers eagerly anticipate the remaining matches, both the U.S. team and their dedicated fans will need to find creative ways to bridge the time difference gap, ensuring continued support despite the overnight scheduling. The U.S. women’s soccer team has proven time and again that they have what it takes to captivate and inspire audiences, even when the odds are against them.
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