World Baseball Classic Delivers Growth Across ESPN Platforms
ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 World Baseball Classic demonstrated growth across multimedia platforms, including strong audience totals for the semifinals and final from Los Angeles. ESPN’s telecasts of this year’s semifinals (Korea vs. Venezuela Saturday, March 21, and USA vs. Japan Sunday, March 22) and final (Korea vs. Japan, Monday, March 23) averaged 1,820,000 viewers (up 24 percent), 1,402,000 households (up 24 percent) and a 1.4 rating (up eight percent). In 2006, the three games averaged 1,465,000 viewers, 1,133,000 households and a 1.3 rating.
Additionally, ESPN’s USA vs. Japan telecast on Sunday, March 22, averaged 2,784,000 viewers, 2,148,000 households and a 2.2 rating to become the most-viewed and highest-rated World Baseball Classic telecast (previous high – USA vs. Mexico March 16, 2006 – 2,458,000 viewers, 1,870,000 households and a 2.1 rating).
ESPN’s nine telecasts averaged 1,616,000 viewers (up 14 percent), 1,232,000 households (up nine percent) and a 1.3 rating (up eight percent). In 2006, ESPN’s eight live telecasts averaged 1,417,000 viewers, 1,129,000 households and a 1.2 rating.
ESPN Deportes
- ESPN Deportes’ 39 live World Baseball Classic telecasts averaged a 2.0 Hispanic household rating, 84,000 Hispanic households and 120,000 Hispanic viewers;
- The United States vs. Puerto Rico game (March 14) was the network’s highest-rated World Baseball Classic telecast, delivering a 3.4 Hispanic rating, 148,000 Hispanic households and 211,000 Hispanic viewers;
- The USA/Puerto Rico telecast was ESPN Deportes’ highest-rated, non-soccer event ever;
- World Baseball Classic telecasts account for the network’s top 16 highest-rated, non-soccer events;
- ESPN Deportes’ total-day average was up 87 percent during the World Baseball Classic; the network averaged a 0.9 Hispanic total day coverage rating, 40,000 Hispanic households and 55,000 Hispanic viewers.
ESPNdeportes.com
- The World Baseball Classic section on ESPNdeportes.com enjoyed nearly two million visits;
- The World Baseball Classic has helped lead ESPNdeportes.com to five of the site’s highest traffic days – including the No. 1.
ESPN Deportes Mobile
- The World Baseball Classic has helped drive the ESPN Deportes Mobile Web site to 1.1 million visits. It makes March the mobile destination’s biggest month ever, with one week still to go.
ESPN.com
- There have been 5.2 million views of World Baseball Classic-related video.
ESPN360.com
- Fans have watched an average of nearly 40 minutes per stream for World Baseball Classic games.
- The World Baseball Classic Final between Japan and Korea was the third most-watched event in March to date on ESPN360.com.
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