The opening game of Copa America 2016 between the USA and Colombia averaged 1.536 million viewers on FOX Sports 1, according to Nielsen fast nationals.
The 1.536 million number is the second most-watched men’s soccer game in FOX Sports 1 history, trailing only the CONCACAF Cup final between Mexico and USA from last fall. The viewing number for that match was 1.561 million.
With the month-long COPA AMERICA the biggest men’s tournament held on U.S. soil since the 1994 World Cup, the viewership numbers also marked a massive boost over recent U.S. Men’s National Team contests on the network, including:
· A 48% bump over the average for the U.S. group stage matches in last summer’s prestigious CONCACAF Gold Cup (1.036 million average), also held in America.
· A full 245% rise over the average to date of U.S. Men’s National Team friendlies on FS1 (445,000 viewers).
SEE MORE: Review of FOX’s Copa America TV coverage from opening weekend
Next up for the United States is a potentially must-win Group A match against regional rivals Costa Rica, set to air on FOX Sports 1 in prime time on Tuesday, June 7 (8:00 PM ET), live from Soldier Field in Chicago.
The Nielsen fast nationals are based on overnight ratings from the top US TV markets. The final viewing average may be higher when that number is published this week.
SEE MORE: Schedule of Copa America Centenario games on TV and streaming
