The second 2014 World Cup semifinal between Argentina and The Netherlands was much more competitive than its predecessor, with ESPN scoring its best-ever mark for the round, while Univision’s numbers came in just behind its presentation of Germany-Brazil the day before.
ESPN’s July 9 telecast of Argentina’s penalty kick win (pictured) over The Netherlands averaged a 4.3 household rating and 6.8 million viewers, its top semifinal deliveries ever, according to Nielsen data. Meanwhile, Univision/Univision Deportes’ simulcast averaged 5.4 million watchers, to trail only Tuesday’s contest in its World Cup semifinal Nielsen pantheon.
Together, the U.S. rights-holders averaged 12.2 million watchers on Wednesday afternoon, just behind their record 12.4 million viewers on July 8.
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