The 2014 World Cup in Brazil has shown the growing global interest in football, according to early broadcast figures released by the game’s governing body FIFA .
The first round of group matches have shattered TV viewing records worldwide and highlighted an increase in the amount of people watching football in countries that aren’t known for their ardent fanaticism.
Fans in countries such as the United States and Australia have tuned in in their millions to watch their national teams play in one of the biggest sporting events of the world.
FIFA said the first-round game between the U.S. and Ghana brought in 11.1 million viewers on ESPN, a record high for its coverage of World Cup matches.
The opening game of the tournament between Brazil and Croatia on June 12 had 42.9 million people watching on Brazilian network TV Globo, FIFA said, making it the most watched sporting event of the year.
Italy’s 1-0 win over England was seen by 14.2 million on BBC1 in the UK and 12.8 million on RAI 1, the highest TV audiences in both countries in 2014.
Some 26.4 million in Germany watched Thomas Muller score a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Portugal on the ARD channel, which FIFA said was the country’s biggest 2014 TV sports audience.
Japan’s defeat by the Ivory Coast was seen by 34.1 million on Japanese channel NHK — double that of its next biggest sports broadcast this year.
For more visit CNN where this story was first published.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
