美國雖然首戰輸給了捷克，但是這場比賽卻創下了ESPN第2頻道的電視收視率的最高紀錄，收視率達到2.3%,人數達到2060000人。

　　鏈結：http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=afp-fblwc2006usa&prov=afp&type=lgns

　　原文：Live World Cup matches scoring with US TV viewers

　　AFP

　　June 14, 2006

　　NEW YORK (AFP) - The United States lost their first 2006 World Cup match to the Czech Republic, but the clash was a ratings winner for ESPN2 television.

　　The match on Monday earned the highest rating (2.3) and the largest audience ever (2.06 million households) for a football game on ESPN2, according to the Nielsen rating agency.

　　The previous all-time high for a soccer game on ESPN2 - sister channel to the more widely available ESPN cable channel, was set during Saturdays Argentina-Ivory Coast match, which received a 1.8 rating (1.6 million households).

　　The figures were released Tuesday by Major League Soccer, whose sister company, Soccer United Marketing, holds the English language broadcast rights in the US to the World Cup.

　　US viewership for the FIFA World Cup on ESPN2 has more than doubled compared to previous editions of the worlds biggest single sport event.

　　For the first weekend of games on ESPN2, Nielsen reported an increase in number of households of 252 percent compared to the 1998 tournament and an increase of 191 percent compared to the first weekend of the 2002 tournament.

　　Prior to the first US game, the five live ESPN2 telecasts during this years opening weekend earned an average rating of 1.4 (1.2 million households) compared to a 0.5 rating (426,531 households) in 2002, when games took place in early morning hours because the tournament was held in Japan and Korea.

　　In 1998, when France hosted the World Cup and kickoff times were similar to those of this years event, the first seven games on ESPN2 earned a 0.6 rating (352,686 households).

　　ESPN, ESPN2 and the broadcast network ABC are combining to broadcast all of 64 World Cup matches in the United States.

　　作者-佟杉杉

責編：佟杉杉