Title: Challenges Faced by American Viewers in Women’s World Cup Group Stage Matches
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Viewership for the United States women’s soccer team during the group stage matches of the Women’s World Cup reached an impressive average of 5,256,000, highlighting the enthusiasm of fans. However, American viewers are facing a significant challenge in catching the remaining U.S. matches, as they will be taking place overnight.
Due to the U.S. team’s second-place finish in Group E, the upcoming matches will be held during the early morning hours for American viewers. The time difference between Australia and New Zealand, where the tournament is being held, and major U.S. cities such as New York and Los Angeles is 14-16 hours and 17-19 hours ahead, respectively.
Recognizing the inconvenience faced by American viewers, Fox President Mike Mulvihill expressed gratitude to FIFA for their collaboration in securing prime time exposure for the group stage matches. Particularly, the matches on July 21 and July 26 drew the largest combined viewership during this stage, with 6.26 million and 7.93 million viewers, respectively.
However, the overnight schedule for the knockout rounds presents a considerable difficulty in maintaining viewership. The match against Portugal on July 31, which aired at 3 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, attracted a viewership of 1,560,000.
Despite the gripping performances by the U.S. women’s team, the overall viewership for the Women’s World Cup on Fox and FS1 has seen a 37% decrease compared to 2019. Furthermore, Spanish-language viewership experienced a 30% decrease from four years ago. Nonetheless, there is a silver lining as Spanish-language viewership did see a remarkable increase of 57% compared to the 2019 tournament.
In conclusion, while the U.S. team’s group stage matches witnessed a surge in viewership, the Women’s World Cup as a whole has struggled to maintain audience numbers. The time difference has undoubtedly played a significant role in these challenges. Nonetheless, American fans continue to show support, with an overall 11% increase in group stage ratings compared to four years ago.
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