South Korea Draws Largest TV Audiences for June 10-16, According to Nielsen Media Research; South Korea-Portugal is Most-Watched Match of the Week in 18 Nielsen Markets

Business Wire, June 28, 2002

Business Editors

South Korea may have been eliminated from World Cup contention, but it was the TV ratings winner - both at home and around the world - for the week of June 10-16, according to the latest audience estimates from Nielsen Media Research. (Note to Editors: Nielsen Media Research and its clients provide next-day audience estimates for all World Cup games telecast in the United States.)

More than 32 million people saw the Korea Republic defeat Portugal, 1-0, at Incheon South Korea, June 14, making it the most-watched match of the week in Nielsen's 18 measured markets. In South Korea alone, a combined audience of nearly 11 million people - the largest single-country audience for the week - viewed the match, which was telecast live on three local networks. That represented a combined 43% of the potential audience, the highest local-country rating for the week.

Buoyed by its success on the field and its status as a host nation, South Korea has drawn some of the largest TV audiences thus far for the month-long tournament. In addition to the 11 million who watched South Korea-Portugal, more than nine million viewers in South Korea - the second largest audience for the week in all Nielsen markets - saw their national team battle USA to a 1-1 draw on June 10. That match, played in Daegu, South Korea, captured 35% of the combined potential audience in South Korea.

South Korea has also had the largest combined match audience in one country thus far for the entire tournament - more than 14 million people, or 56% of the combined audience, who watched the June 4 match between the Korea Republic and Poland.

Through June 16, a combined total of more than 180 million viewers in South Korea have watched the World Cup - among the largest total audiences of any country measured by Nielsen Media Research. South Korea has averaged about 3.5 million viewers per match, for an average audience rating of 14%, the largest such rating among Nielsen markets.

Outside of South Korea, the other ratings winner for the week was Ireland. More than one million people in Ireland, or 31% of the potential audience, saw Spain defeat Ireland 3-2 in a shootout after the teams battled to a 1-1 draw at Suwon, South Korea, on June 16.

U.S. Audiences Rise With Success of Team USA

With a strong showing by Team USA, World Cup audiences in the U.S. continued to build as the tournament progressed. For the week of June 3-9, the match between the USA and Portugal on June 5 drew two million U.S. viewers, far below that week's largest U.S. audience - the three million who watched Argentina vs. England on June 7.

For the week of June 10-16, the largest U.S. audience - 3.9 million - was for the Korea Republic vs. USA match on June 10, which aired live on ESPN2 at 2:20 a.m. (U.S. Eastern time) and was rebroadcast twice that day - on ESPN at 3:00 p.m., and on ESPN 2 at 9:00 p.m. This combined audience was slightly above the 3.8 million who watched Poland

vs. the USA on June 14. The June 14 game was carried live by ESPN at 7:30 a.m. and rebroadcast at 1:15 p.m. that day on ABC.

With the USA advancing to the quarterfinal round for the first time in 72 years, U.S. television audiences climbed to a record level for a World Cup. As previously reported by Nielsen Media Research in the U.S., ESPN's live telecast of Germany vs. USA at 7:30 a.m. (U.S. Eastern time) on June 21 drew more than five million viewers (a record 4.4% of ESPN households in that time slot). The game, won by Germany, 1-0, eliminated the USA from World Cup contention.

Attracted by the USA's strong showing, a combined total of nearly 21 million Americans tuned in to see the home team play its five matches on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC throughout the tournament. In 1998 during the last World Cup from France, some 13 million Americans, combined, watched the three matches played by the USA on ABC.

     Highest World Cup Audiences (by Country), Week of June 10-16

Country          Gross     Gross       Match (Date/Kickoff Time(b))
(Ranked by     Audience  Rating(a)
 Audience)               (Persons)

South Korea   10,920,000    43   Portugal/South Korea (14 June/8:30 PM)
Thailand       6,106,000    11     Cameroon/Germany (11 June/8:30 PM)
China          6,084,000    16       Ireland/Spain (16 June/8:30 PM)
Indonesia      4,959,000    17      Denmark/England (15 June/8:30 PM)
USA            3,879,000     2      South Korea/USA (10 June/3:30 PM)
Malaysia       2,627,000    18     Cameroon/Germany (11 June/8:30 PM)
South Africa   1,957,000    14    South Africa/Spain (12 June/8:30 PM)
Sweden         1,146,000    13      Denmark/France (11 June/3:30 PM)
                                     Italy/Mexico (13 June/8:30 PM)
Ireland        1,117,000    31       Ireland/Spain (16 June/8:30 PM)
Canada           999,000     3       Italy/Mexico (13 June/8:30 PM)
India            932,000     1      Denmark/England (15 June/8:30 PM)
Finland          506,000    11      Senegal/Sweden (16 June/3:30 PM)
Taiwan           447,000     2       Italy/Mexico (13 June/8:30 PM)
Hong Kong        437,000     7      Denmark/England (15 June/8:30 PM)
Australia (c)    402,000     7      Denmark/England (15 June/8:30 PM)
Singapore        213,000    17       Ireland/Spain (16 June/8:30 PM)
New Zealand      196,000     6      Denmark/England (15 June/8:30 PM)
Philippines       64,000    <1      Denmark/England (15 June/8:30 PM)