Fox Sports en Español’s Copa Toyota Libertadores Drive Year-to-Year Viewership.

With plenty of heart-stopping action still left in the Copa Toyota Libertadores, Fox Sports en Español continues to ride the growing popularity of the prestigious Latin American club soccer tournament among U.S. Hispanics. Halfway through the 2005 Copa Toyota Libertadores, according to Nielsen Media Research, year-to-year coverage area ratings for the Spanish-language all-sports network already are up 34 and 38 percent for men 18-49 and men 18-34, respectively. The two legs of the Round of 16 match-up between the legendary “Chivas de Guadalajara” and “Los Tuzos de Pachuca” gave Fox Sports en Español an impressive average coverage area rating of 7.3, representing 237,000 Hispanic households, and scored the network consecutive top 10 finishes among U.S. Hispanic cable television households for the weeks of May 16-22 and May 23-29, respectively. The results further bolstered what promises to be the network’s strongest Copa Toyota Libertadores season since it acquired the property in 2002.

“Thus far, the 2005 Copa Toyota Libertadores has been an overwhelming success for us. While we expected ratings to be consistently strong for matches featuring Mexican teams, the tremendous growth across the board, particularly for non-Mexican games, underscores the property’s viability and sustainability among all Hispanic sports fans,” said David Sternberg, executive vice president and general manager of Fox Sports en Español. “Already, we’ve delivered to our advertisers huge numbers in the male 18-49 and 18-34 demographics, and with several more weeksmore live action in store for our loyal viewers in June and July, of play left in the schedule we anticipate we’ll continue to build on these results in the tournament’s final rounds.”

The first leg of the Chivas-Pachuca duel ranked fourth the week of May 16-22 with a robust coverage area rating of 6.7, or 218,000 U.S. Hispanic cable households, as well as delivered a solid 5.3 coverage area rating, or 182,000 viewers, among men 18-49. The second and deciding leg became the highest-rated program in the network’s history (among Hispanic households, adult 18-49 and men 18-49); ranked third for the week of May 23-29 with an outstanding coverage area rating of 7.8, or 254,000 Hispanic households; and netted Fox Sports en Español an extraordinary coverage area rating of 8, or 281,000 viewers, among men 18-49. Both legs of this memorable clash, which sent Pachuca packing and catapulted Chivas into the quarterfinals against Argentina’s Boca Juniors, were the only Spanish-language cable sports programs to crack the top 10 two weeks in a row.

Leading up to the quarterfinals, cumulative ratings for Fox Sports en Español’s exclusive telecasts of 122 Copa Toyota Libertadores matches are up 34 and 38 percent for men 18-49 and men 18-34, respectively. While 2005 viewership for marquee matches featuring Mexican teams have unquestionably led the network to some of its highest ratings of all time, non-Mexican games have netted the network impressive increases of 46 and 44 percent among men 18-49 and men 18-34, respectively.

Eight teams from three countries remain in the hunt for the Copa Toyota Libertadores title, won last year by Colombia’s Once Caldas. Argentina and Brazil are tied with three teams each in the quarterfinals, followed closely by Mexico with two.