MUMBAI: The recently concluded soccer World Cup on ESPN saw 64 million viewers tuning in, up from the earlier edition‘s base of 40 million viewers, while the final duel notched up a rating of 2.52.

The match between Spain and Netherlands, which ran into extra time and was locked in defensive warfare, earned less ratings than the 2006 final contest between France and Italy that got a TVR of 3.4.

Overall, the soccer World Cup got an average TVR of 0.83, lower than the 2006 average of 1.1 TVR, according to Tam data.

Not surprisingly, the viewership emerged stronger among males 15+ SEC A,B. In this coveted TG, the average TVR stood at 1.64 compared to 2.2 in 2006. 16 million males watched the event this time compared to nine million in 2006.
 
This year‘s final got an average TVR of 5.6 compared to 6.2 in 2006, among males 15+ SEC A,B. The last four matches (semis, final and third place) got an average TVR of 1.5 for c&s4+ and 3.4 among males 15+ SEC A,B. This was a slight decline compared to 2006 where the figures were 1.6 and 3.5 respectively.
 
In West Bengal, the average TVR for the entire event reached 4. In Assam it was 3.8 and in Kerala 3.2.

The viewership profile was similar to that of 2006. 67 per cent of viewers were male compared to 66 per cent in 2006. SEC A,B made up for 59 per cent viewership compared to 56 per cent in 2006. The 35+ TG contributed 47 per cent viewership compared to 44 per cent in 2006.
 
This time the top ad categories were Cellular Phones, Cellular Phone Service, Two Wheelers, DTH Service Providers and Non Aerated Soft Drink. The top advertisers were Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar, Nokia, Samsung and Hero Honda.