Boston Is Fourth-Biggest TV Market For USA-Portugal World Cup Game

Boston fans have always been extremely passionate about their Big Four sports teams, but apparently the city isn’t afraid to show some love for soccer as well.

A record number of viewers tuned in on Sunday night to watch the USA battle Portugal to a thrilling 2-2 draw at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as ESPN’s broadcast earned a national 9.1 television rating.

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The game was especially popular in Boston, as the city’s market drew the fourth-highest ratings of any U.S. city, trailing only Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and New York, N.Y.

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The dramatic match produced a 11.5 TV rating in the Boston market, meaning that an average of 11.5 percent of all households with a TV were tuned to USA-Portugal.  That rating made the game the most-watched World Cup contest in Boston history.

USA-Portugal is not the first World Cup game that caught the eye of Bostonians, as ratings in the Boston market were the fourth-largest in the country for America’s opener against Ghana as well.

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The World Cup games’ high ratings in Boston is likely just the result of national pride, but it’s encouraging to see that many fans tuning in to soccer in a city usually dominated by other sports.

Photo via Twitter/@BostonGlobe