Disappointing TV numbers for game 3 (relative)

[ZenMaster]

Of course it's lower when there's a sunday of US open going on at the same time, Tiger or no Tiger the Open came down to the last hole and was very very tight.

Personally I had streams for both going at the same time.

[KingMichael23]

LeBron on a small market team = not enough ratings. LeBron would draw ratings through out the whole series if he were playing for the Bulls, Lakers or Knicks.

[t-rex]

What kind of ratings do the soccer US national team get during the World Cup? And what did the final in the World Cup get?

The World Cup Final did an 8.1 TV rating (15.5 million viewers) on ABC. However that number was skewed because an additional 8.2 million people watched on Spanish language TV (Univision). That huge number is not reflected in ABC

[-p.tiddy-]

The World Cup Final did an 8.1 TV rating (15.5 million viewers) on ABC. However that number was skewed because an additional 8.2 million people watched on Spanish language TV (Univision). That huge number is not reflected in ABC’s rating.

The Women’s World Cup did a 7.4 TV rating and was one of the top 10 most watched (non NFL programs) in ESPN history. By comparison, a WNBA Finals game won’t even get a 0.5 TV rating.

Soccer is very big in this country. The TV ratings are very good. For instance, as you can see from some of my numerous posts on this topic, Soccer (FIFFA World Cup) completely blows away the NHL in fan popularity.

Soccer is a very popular sport in the United States. And its’ growing rapidly. You may have noticed ESPN beginning to pay more and more attention to the sport. That’s because they are looking at some of the same numbers I just posted. It’s a myth that Soccer does not do well in the U.S.

Keep in mind the World Cup drew about 23 million people in this country in a championship match that did not involve the U.S. soccer team. That’s how big the sport is becoming here.

what are you talking about?

Soccer is NOT at all popular in the US, not compared to the other sports

The World Cup is pobably the ONLY thing soccer related that coupld grab ratings...we have a professional soccer league, and no one gives a shit aobut it...

David Beckham was supposed to come here and make soccer popular, he couldn't...we don't care about it

[DropStep]

Middle America prefers to watch sports like golf and Nascar than the NBA.

[-p.tiddy-]

here you go chief:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-the-mls-today

MLS: Television Ratings Are the Biggest Issue Facing the MLS Today

The MLS (Major League Soccer) is fast approaching a serious roadblock to growing into a sport with a truly national following. This roadblock is also related to a common criticism that the sport in general is boring.

This sentiment is best reflected in television ratings, because if a sport is truly popular, then there would be people watching it on television.

The MLS has television deals with NBC and ESPN, so just how bad are the ratings for the "world sport"? Well, for NBC's first broadcast of an MLS game, there were only 82,000 viewers. If the MLS were a sitcom, the show would have been canceled faster than you can say "Viva Laughlin."

True, the attendance figures for games on average has increased, but sports leagues don't make a majority of their money from attendance; they get revenue from television deals. Due to the lack of television ratings, it will be hard for a network broadcasting the games to generate ad revenue because of how few people watch. That is a serious problem, because networks like NBC or ESPN will drop coverage due to lackluster ratings.

If ESPN no longer broadcasts NHL games, then they can very easily pull MLS.

There is also a perception problem with the MLS, because unlike the other sports where there is world-class talent, MLS gets the scraps from Europe. Besides, for those die-hard soccer fans out there, what would you rather watch, a Premier League match or an MLS match?

There is a perception that the MLS is essentially a glorified Triple-A minor-league system. Even if there is great home-grown talent, those players will always go to Europe, because that's where the soccer money is. In essence, don't expect Didier Drogba to ever cross the Atlantic.

The interest of soccer in the United States is very fickle and inconsistent: Public interest peaks around the World Cup, then dies down after the United States is out of the tournament. Middle America simply doesn't care about a sport that they attribute to children and frozen orange slices after games.

In all fairness to the game of soccer, it is a very recent development in the United States and is trying to compete with the NBA playoffs, the MLB regular season, the NFL and college football. There are simply not enough people to watch.

If there was such a demand for soccer in the United States, it would be reflected in the viewers for each match, not the number of views a soccer article receives on ESPN.com.

[DirtySanchez]

people tune in to see lebron fail, heat winning hurts the number

LMAO

true

[DirtySanchez]

Middle America prefers to watch sports like golf and Nascar than the NBA.

Racial thing?

[kurt_rambis]

here you go chief:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-the-mls-today

MLS: Television Ratings Are the Biggest Issue Facing the MLS Today

international soccer does way better in the us than MLS. euro 2012 is averaging well over a million viewers per match, and english premier league usually does okay on espn. it's comparable to regular season hockey

[t-rex]

what are you talking about?

Soccer is NOT at all popular in the US, not compared to the other sports

The World Cup is pobably the ONLY thing soccer related that coupld grab ratings...we have a professional soccer league, and no one gives a shit aobut it...

David Beckham was supposed to come here and make soccer popular, he couldn't...we don't care about it

MLS is not the World Cup.

I was referring to World Cup Soccer.

To say World Cup soccer doesn't do well because of the difficulties MLS has, is like saying the NFL is a failure because of the Arena Football League, Or the NBA doesn't do well because of the D-league. See the point!

Its an apples to oranges comparison.

The poster asked about World Cup TV ratings. That's what I posted. The World Cup ratings are very good. And are probably better than the casual fan thinks. Its simple math.


Why the hostility?

[quick96]

people tune in to see lebron fail, heat winning hurts the number

This, what you wrote, is Masterfully written...

If we continue see LeHype James fail we will continue to watch.

[kurt_rambis]

Middle America prefers to watch sports like golf and Nascar than the NBA.

golf isn't middle america specific. old people and dorks like it, and you can find both groups everywhere

[t-rex]

here you go chief:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-the-mls-today

MLS: Television Ratings Are the Biggest Issue Facing the MLS Today

Please read my previous post, so I don't have to start looking up Arena Football TV ratings and comparing them to the NFL?

BTW... I still don't understand why are are so mad about this?

[t-rex]

Middle America prefers to watch sports like golf and Nascar than the NBA.

I think we are all collectively not accurately representing what Sunday's TV number means. A 10.4 rating is still an EXCELLENT number. More Americans are watching the NBA than watch NASCAR or golf. So while their is a racial component to the TV numbers, the NBA is not adversely affected.

For instance, if white america only loves white sports/athletes then...

Why does Hockey do so poorly?

Why do Golf ratings double when Tiger Woods in in the field?

Why do Tennis ratings tank unless the Williams sisters are present?

Why do baseball TV ratings decline as fewer African Americans play the sport each year?

Why are NASCAR ratings falling over the last few years?

Why is the NBA currently the second most watched sport in America trailing only football?

[JohnnySic]

The "dissapointing" numbers shouldn't be surprising. Oklahoma City is a small market and Miami is an awful sports town. And a lot of casual fans dont even know who Kevin Durant is.