The FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011 has set a new benchmark for the sport as viewers smashed several TV audience records along the way, reports a FIFA statement. "These are solid figures on their own, but when you put them into context with other major sports events they emphatically underline that the FIFA Women's World Cup was an exceptionally popular spectacle for TV viewers," said FIFA TV Director Niclas Ericson.
In the USA, an average audience of over 14.1 million watched the final between the USA and Japan.
ESPN delivered the large majority of the audience, reporting an average of close to 13.5 million and a peak audience during the penalty shoot-out of over 21.1 million.
This is ESPN's highest-ever audience for a football match and ranks as the second-highest audience for a daytime telecast in US cable history (behind the 2011 Rose Bowl).
