ESPN Sees Audience Drop In July, While Fox Soccer Soars

On the heels of double-digit percentage drops in Q2, ESPN during the month of July saw an 8% drop in total-day viewership and a 12% drop in primetime compared to the same period in '12. Contributing to the drops was a shift in the Nielsen calendar, whereby ESPN this past month had neither the NBA Draft nor College World Series finals – both of which aired in July '12. The net also had a strong presence last July with the UEFA Euro '12 semifinals and final, as well as strong numbers around pre-Olympic programming. Meanwhile, Fox Soccer had a big July, with total-day viewership up 200% and primetime up 375%. For more data on cable sports networks viewership in July, see tomorrow’s issue of THE DAILY.