Seattle World Cup match most-watched US TV soccer broadcast ever

The U.S. game against Belgium in Seattle in the round of 16 at the World Cup set another record as the most-watched soccer TV broadcast in U.S. history, Fox said after preliminary ratings came out Tuesday.

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Fox said 30 million people watched the game, a 4-1 victory for Belgium on Monday in Seattle to move into the quarterfinals and eliminate the last of the tournament’s three co-hosts. Fox said audience peaked at more than 36.8 million people between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

That topped the previous mark, the U.S.-Bosnia-Herzegovina game last week that Fox said was watched by 26.4 million.

The U.S.-Bosnia-Herzegovina game was the most-watched TV program on any network since the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.

Game 5 of the NBA Finals, in which the New York Knicks won their first championship since 1973, averaged 24.5 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, with audience peaking at 33 million.

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