Early FIFA World Cup Viewership Numbers Show Univision Leading ESPN

An early FIFA World Cup audience battle is brewing between Univision and ESPN. Heading into yesterday's action, Univision was averaging 3.7 million viewers for eight matches, which included the early Mexico-Cameroon match last Friday. That figure is 7% higher than ABC/ESPN's average over the same eight matches. Univision's slate of four matches Saturday was the net's best audience on record for group-stage play on a Saturday. The net also finished with 5.1 million viewers for the opening Brazil-Croatia match last Thursday, marking a record World Cup opening match for the net. ESPN drew 4.4 million viewers for the same match, also marking an opening-match audience record for the net. During the '10 World Cup from South Africa, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 finished the tourney averaging 3.3 million viewers compared to 2.4 million viewers for Univision/Telefutura. ESPN should see a boost to its World Cup audience tonight with the U.S.' first match against Ghana (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).

FOOTY VS. HOCKEY: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Michael O'Connell wrote the audience for ESPN's Brazil-Croatia opener is "substantial, for sure, and a clear vote of confidence for the advertisers and broadcasters upping their investment in the sport." But how does it "stack up to other big tournaments being played during a particularly sports-heavy June?" If the World Cup opener "is any indication of audiences to come ... it's in far better shape than the Stanley Cup." Wednesday's Stanley Cup Final Game 4, which "had the advantage of airing in primetime in the majority of the country, logged 3.4 million viewers" on NBCSN. And the "biggest broadcast outing yet," Game 2 on NBC on June 7, "fetched 6.4 million" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 6/13).

COMING IN FOR LANDON: SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote ESPN "scored a PR coup with the addition" of Galaxy F Landon Donovan to its World Cup coverage. Even if Donovan "turns out to be a flat voice, it's worth whatever" the net is paying him. Donovan "has currency as an active soccer player and high name recognition among American soccer fans given his three World Cup appearances." ESPN Senior VP & Exec Producer for the World Cup Jed Drake, when asked how confident he is that Donovan will be critical of the U.S. team when warranted, responded, "I'm confident that Landon will be insightful. He's been with this team for a long time. He's going to be free to express his opinions, whatever they are." Meanwhile, Deitsch wrote ESPN's World Cup coverage in general thus far "has been very strong, featuring well-called game commentary and beautiful visuals on the production side." The studio programming "has also been strong, and the standout performer" is EPL club Everton manager Roberto Martinez. He "really makes each of the postgame shows he appears on with his intelligent dissection of what is occurring on the pitch" (SI.com, 6/15). Meanwhile, in Baltimore, Ryan Bacic writes ESPN soccer analyst Taylor Twellman "has turned into one of the fastest-rising talents in American sports media." Twellman's colleagues "are especially quick to point out Twellman's affable nature and dedication to research" (Baltimore SUN, 6/16).

NOT PHIL-IN IT: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Georg Szalai noted the BBC today "expressed support for former soccer star Phil Neville, whose commentary of the weekend's World Cup game between England and Italy had drawn a flood of Twitter criticism." Neville made his World Cup on-air debut during Saturday's Italy-England match, and most criticism "focused on his lack of excitement even when young English striker Daniel Sturridge tied up the game with a goal before half time" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 6/16).

UNOFFICIAL BLACKOUT? FIFA TV Dir Niclas Ericson said that the governing body is "not deliberately keeping images of FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Brazil President Dilma Rousseff off screens." REUTERS' Mike Collett reported the crowd at Corinthians Arena "booed and jeered" Rousseff on Thursday when she appeared cheering one of Brazil's goals in its 3-1 win over Croatia on the stadium's big screen. Blatter's image "has often been booed" at past World Cups when he was shown on in-stadium videoboards (REUTERS, 6/15).