ESPN’s Euro 2012 Ratings See Major Increase form Euro 2008

ESPN’s ratings for the UEFA EURO 2012 games have seen a triple-digit viewership increase compared with the 2008 matches shown on the network.

Last Sunday’s 1-1 draw between Italy and Spain on ESPN was seen by an average of 2 million plus viewers, bigger than any of the 2008 games, except the final that was screened on ABC. That game, Germany vs. Spain, was watched by an average of 3.760 million viewers.

Through six matches, ESPN’s English-language presentation of the event is averaging 1,007,000 households and 1,328,000 viewers, up 198 percent and 214 percent, respectively, versus the first six games of the UEFA EURO 2008 (338,000 households and 423,000 viewers in 2008). The second most-watched game to-date as on Wednesday morning was Saturday’s Portugal-Germany matchup, a 1.1 household coverage rating, or 1,244,000 households and 1,798,000 viewers, second to only one ESPN game in all of 2008.

ESPN Deportes is also delivering strong ratings. Through the first three days (six matches), the matches averaged a 3.2 Hispanic household coverage rating (+66 percent from 2008) with 166,000 Hispanic households (+147 percent from 2008). The Spain vs. Italy match on Sunday, June 10, was the highest-rated and most-watched match so far, delivering a 6.0 Hispanic household coverage rating with 313,600 household impressions.