The result for the U.S. Men’s National team wasn’t desired, but the viewership for FS1 was. While the U.S. was losing 2-0 to Colombia, viewers flocked to FS1 to watch the Copa América Centenario opening game. It averaged 1.536 million viewers making it the second most-watched men’s soccer match in the network’s young history. It was just 25,000 viewers fewer than the 2015 CONCACAF Cup match between the U.S. and Mexico last year.
It gives the Fox Sports Media Group a nice spark to the month-long tournament which will be played all over the United States.
And compared to the CONCACAF Gold Cup which aired on the Fox networks last year, it’s a 48% increase from the USMNT’s group stage games in that tournament. And it’s a 245% spike from the USMNT’s friendliest on F1 which have averaged just 245,000 viewers to-date.
It gives Fox some hope for the U.S. game against Costa Rica on Tuesday in Chicago and the rest of the Copa América Centenario tournament as well. The USA-Costa Rica Match will also air on FS1 and with the USMNT desperate for a win to keep up in Group A.
The viewership shows that live sports will provide eyeballs to FS1. And with the soccer tournament going on all month, FS1 as well as its sister networks should see a ratings bump all the way through the finals later in June.
