"FOX Sports says the final averaged 38.937 million viewers, peaking at 51.685 million. That's now the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history."
"The World Cup also reminded us that presentation matters. Every knockout match felt enormous because television treated it that way. The music. The entrances. The crowd. The anticipation. Nobody needs to convince viewers Spain versus Argentina matters. The broadcast simply gets out of the way and lets the occasion breathe."
"Networks like FOX Sports understand that shoulder programming needs more than discussion. It needs personality and personalities who bring out the characters of others. That's the magic of Alexi Lalas."
"Every four years, somebody asks if this is finally soccer’s breakthrough moment. At some point, we have to stop asking whether soccer is arriving and start recognizing that it already has."
"If FOX Sports wants validation, it doesn't need to look any further than the numbers. Viewership is soaring, social engagement is exploding, and the World Cup is breaking through with American audiences in ways few could have imagined. That's the victory."
"When millions of people are tuning in to the biggest sporting event on the planet, hosted in your own backyard, sports radio doesn't have the luxury of pretending it isn't happening."
Borrell Associates projects that figure will climb considerably over the next four years as the industry undergoes what it describes as a "great reshuffling."