Women's squad gives boot to Nielsen record
Cup champs score highest un-Olympic soccer rating ever
The July 10 U.S.-China showdown, in which the Americans claimed their World Cup title, scored an 11.4 rating, 31 share in national Nielsens. This makes it the top-rated U.S. soccer telecast to date, excepting soccer coverage within Olympic telecasts. The women's tally topped 1994's Brazil-Italy men's final and its 9.5 rating, considered the previous record for soccer coverage in the U.S.
Last Saturday's title-clinching U.S. victory also tops this year's National Basketball Assn. Finals average (11.3/21) and ranks close behind Tuesday's baseball All-Star Game (12.0/22).
Male viewers watched the women's team in greater numbers than female, with the match earning an 8.6 rating among men 18-49 (up 1% vs. the '94 men's final) and a 5.0 with women 18-49 (up 6% vs. 1994).
Female teens gave the game a 5.8 vs. a 6.3 kicked in by male teens. These figures are much closer than what is typical for men's sporting events. Tuesday's baseball, for example, did much better with male teens (8.8), but trailed among female youths (3.4).
Soccer's score among girls 2-11 was a 3.2 vs. a 3.8 for boys 2-11.
Nielsen also reported the first national results for NBC's new daytime soap "Passions," which is off to a relatively slow start -- a 2.1/7 in homes and a 1.1/7 in women 18-49. Both rep NBC's lowest regular-fare tallies in the slot since at least mid-1987, when Nielsen's current peoplemeter methodology was instituted.
NBC has made immediate progress, though, in its attempt to attract younger viewers. "Passions" stirred up a 59% increase over year-earlier female teen results this hour with predecessor soap "Another World" (2.3/11 vs. 1.4/7).
Last week, "Passions" led into "Sunset Beach" (1.4/5 in homes, 0.7/5 in adults 18-49), which hit its weakest women 18-49 average to date and equaled its lowest households figure.
