July 10 – Sometimes failure is more compelling than success, a fact US broadcasting giant Fox can now attest to after it saw its Concacaf Gold Cup final numbers boom, with viewers tuning in to watch the US Men’s National Team’s latest capitulation.
With 3.73 million viewers tuning in, the 2-1 Mexican win was the highest English-language audience for a Gold Cup final in the network’s history.
That’s more than triple the 1.1 million who bothered watching Mexico beat Panama in 2023, with audience peaking at 5.2 million as Mexico began toying with an outmatched USMNT.
The 70,925 crowd at NRG Stadium in Houston was heavily tilted toward Mexico, as usual. El Tri fans don’t just travel, but dominate American stadiums, turning what should be home advantage into a hostile environment, which their players clearly relished.
Those 3.7 million viewers represent more than double the NBA’s regular season average, and Fox proudly announced it was their most-watched soccer telecast since last year’s Comnebol Copa América final. The number also demolished the FIFA Club World Cup’s group stage ratings on TNT, though that’s hardly surprising given TNT’s limited reach compared to broadcast television.
These numbers will certainly please the brass at Fox as they move into the final year of their FIFA deal, which culminates with the World Cup final next July in New York.
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