TelevisaUnivision has released some solid viewership figures during their coverage of Copa America 2024. The Mexican-American media company is airing all 32 of the tournament’s matches here in the United States on Univision and TUDN. The two networks are currently the exclusive Spanish-language home of the competition Stateside.
According to the company, the top five most-watched programs on Spanish-language television this year have been Copa America 2024 matches. The two networks also previously finished off the group stage of the tournament with record viewership. A big reason for this influx of attention was directly attributed to the Mexico national team.
El Tri is undoubtedly the most popular foreign side in the States. As a result, TelevisaUnivision scored some impressive viewership numbers early in the tournament. Mexico’s opening Group B match with Jamaica averaged 2.5 million viewers on the Spanish-language networks. Their following fixture against Venezuela then reached an average of 2.7 million viewers four days later.
Mexico then needed a big result against Ecuador to advance to the knockout round. Due to the magnitude of the match, TelevisaUnivision scored 3 million total viewers for the final Group B game. These last two El Tri matches were the top two rated Spanish-language programs in the United States for the entire year. El Tri, however, settled for a draw in the game, subsequently ending their tournament.
Mexico’s failures put a dent in TelevisaUnivision’s Copa America 2024 figures. Despite that loss, Messi mania fueled the network. Despite getting up there in age, Lionel Messi remains one of the most followed soccer stars in the world. Viewership figures among Argentina games during the current competition certainly back this up.
Univision/TUDN have announced that Messi’s opening Group A game against Canada averaged 1.83 million viewers. La Albiceleste’s next matchup against Chile then recorded 2.1 million viewers across the Spanish-language networks. Messi’s influence on the ratings was on display in Argentina’s final group-stage game.
With the superstar on the bench, TelevisaUnivision’s viewership dropped a bit to 1.7 million people. Nevertheless, the game against Peru was still the number one Spanish-language broadcast of the entire night and also outperformed the nearest competition by 66%.
Although the dip was evident, fans flocked back to the TV to watch Messi play once again against Ecuador. The quarterfinal fixture on July 4th averaged 2.7 million viewers on the holiday night. Just as interesting, TelevisaUnivision is claiming that nearly half of this viewership were fans between the ages of 18 and 49. This game outperformed the competition by 48% among viewers in this particular age bracket.
Along with the Argentina match, TelevisaUnivision’s coverage of the four Copa America 2024 quarterfinals averaged 2.4 million viewers. The marquee matchup during this phase of the tournament was when Brazil squared off against Uruguay.
Brazil, an immensely popular side, was the co-favorite in the competition alongside Mess’s Argentina. While Seleção ended up surprisingly losing the match, 2.9 million viewers watched the exciting fixture on Univision/TUDN. This particular broadcast was the highest-rated primetime program on the night, regardless of language.
FOX’s English-language Copa America 2024 telecasts are also experiencing a significant spike in viewership. Nevertheless, the network previously announced an average viewership of 1.1 million during the group stage. Only games involving the USMNT and Messi’s Argentina could compete with TelevisaUnivision’s impressive overall figures.
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