Sports

The World Cup Final between Spain and the Netherlands drew a total of 24.3 million U.S. viewers, making it the most watched soccer game in U.S. television history, according to The Nielsen Company. The figure, which includes viewership on both ABC and Univision during the two-and-a-half-hour game window (2:30 to 5pm ET), surpasses the record of 19.4 million viewers that tuned in to the U.S.-Ghana match earlier in this World Cup.

The long wait is over! The two time MVP star LeBron James has made his decision to join el Heat, bringing a massive spotlight to the country’s 3rd largest Hispanic market and a city known for its Latin flavor. Time will tell on the economic and business impact of his decision, but we can certainly assume that many moving parts are at play with his announcement. By Liliana Gil, Managing Partner AG-XL Alliance

Available on HispanicCMO.com

World Cup soccer telecasts aired on all English and Spanish language networks have reached an estimated 34% of all U.S. TV viewers, according to figures released by The Nielsen Company. CHARTS AVAILABLE HERE.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup match-up between Mexico and Argentina delivered the highest viewership ever for Univision, attracting over 9.3 million Total Viewers 2 plus (9,362,938) who watched the event.

The latest in a series of Hispanic Market Overviews designed to offer marketers and advertisers who are active in the U.S. Hispanic marketplace — in addition to CMOs and brand managers who wish to become more active with Latino consumers — a clear, concise snapshot of the state of Spanish-language and Hispanic-targeted advertising and marketing efforts.

The average American TV audience for the first three games played by Team USA are up 68% in 2010 compared to the same point during the 2006 World Cup, according to an analysis released by The Nielsen Company.

When it comes to big-event programming, it’s becoming clear that multiplatform viewing is more friend than foe to television ratings.

An estimated 14.5 million U.S. viewers combined to watch the game on ABC and Univision, the highest average audience for a men’s national team soccer game since at least 15.8 million combined to watch USA and Brazil’s Round of 16 match in 1994.

Vincent Cordero has been named executive vice president and general manager of Fox Sports en Español (FSE), it was announced by David Hill, chairman & chief executive officer, Fox Sports Media Group (FSMG). Mr. Cordero reports to Hernan Lopez, president and chief operating officer, Fox International Channels, who in turn reports to Mr. Hill with respect to this role. Mr. Cordero, a native of Los Angeles, assumes his new position on July 1, 2010.

As the planet awaits the world’s biggest single sporting event, most of the pre-tournament World Cup Buzz is focused around the players who won’t be taking part or could be missing out. The Nielsen Company analyzed English-language online blogs, message boards and social networking sites and found that pre-World Cup player buzz was dominated by injuries.

Nothing gives the global football market a better boost than a World Cup Tournament. As the 2010 World Cup is about to commence, The NPD Group, Inc. takes a look at the global football market.

Maya Publishing Group, LLC on behalf of its magazine Record Semanario de Futbol announced the launch of its World Cup pool through its website Revistarecord.com challenging soccer experts to challenge their friends or family every week.

Brazil is the team to beat in this year’s World Cup, according to a global survey released by The Nielsen Company.