TOTAL WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE FOR WORLD CUP: 700 MILLION

If the ratings for the World Cup were huge in the U.S., they paled compared to those racked up in many overseas markets. FIFA, the organization that stages the contests, said that altogether 700 million viewers watched the final game in which Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0, but the breakdown in some European countries was astounding. In Spain, 91 percent of the TV audience viewed the game at its peak while the entire game averaged an 86 percent share (15.6 million viewers). In the Netherlands as well 91 percent of the audience took in the match (8.5 million viewers). In both countries — as elsewhere — millions more watched outside their homes in bars, restaurants, theaters, parks, etc. Spain’s population stands at 46 million; the Netherlands, at 17 million. In every Western European country, 60 percent or more TV viewers caught the final game.