USA-Argentina Copa America Centenario Semifinal Delivers Record 3.2 Million Viewers on FS1
The highly-anticipated semifinal between the United States and Lionel Messi’s No. 1-ranked Argentina in the 2016 COPA AMERICA CENTENARIO: CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE AMERICAS, delivered 3,290,000 viewers on FS1 Tuesday, according to Nielsen Media Research. Tuesday night’s showdown put FS1 first in prime time for cable and ranks as FS1’s third most-watched soccer match and the most-watched men’s soccer match in the network’s history.
Last night’s match also set a record for FOX Sports GO as its most-viewed authenticated event in history with over 228,000 unique streamers, beating out the 2015 Women’s World Cup Final between the USA and Japan by 10% (207,000 unique streamers).
The Argentines’ win over the Americans secured Messi’s team a spot in the final where they will face James Rodriguez’s Colombia or Arturo Vidal’s Chile, hoping to end a 23-year major trophy drought. The United States also awaits the results of the Colombia-Chile match for a chance to finish third in the tournament.
The 2016 COPA AMERICA CENTENARIO has produced the top four men’s soccer audiences in FS1 history, with viewership for the U.S. matches growing throughout the tournament. The United States’ 2-0 loss to Colombia delivered 1.536 million viewers on June 3; then on June 7, 1.6 million viewers tuned in to see the United States’ crucial 4-0 win over Costa Rica. The third match, in which the Americans clinched a spot in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over Paraguay on June 11, averaged 2.061 million viewers. The previous record for the most-watched men’s soccer match in FS1 history was set June 16 with the Americans’ 1-0 quarterfinal win over Ecuador, a match seen by 2.132 million viewers.
The 2016 COPA AMERICA CENTENARIO continues today when Colombia faces defending champions and No. 5-ranked Chile, which is fresh off a 7-0 destruction of Mexico. Play-by-play announcer John Strong calls the action with former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Brad Friedel and reporter Francisco X. Rivera. Rob Stone hosts pre-match, halftime and post-match commentary alongside Alexi Lalas, Fernando Fiore and Aly Wagner from FOX Sports’ Los Angeles studio. Coverage begins at 7:00 PM ET on FS1 and concludes with COPA TONIGHT at 1:00 AM ET. A full broadcast schedule can be found HERE.
