When the USWNT defeated the Netherlands in the final of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a broadcast average of 14.27 million and peak audience of 20 million — along with a 10.0 overnight metered market rating — showcased the unifying power of the team over the course of an unforgettable month in France. A captivated nation tuned in to watch back home, creating an event that performed 22 percent higher than the 2018 men’s final.
While those numbers do a great job illustrating how sport can bring a nation as vast and differing as the U.S. together, now imagine an event that garners a 63 percent audience share across an entire country.
That’s what happened Thursday when Scotland took Serbia to extra time at Red Star Stadium before winning a penalty shootout to qualify for a first major tournament since the 1998 World Cup. According to SportsPro, the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying playoff drew an average of 1.48 million viewers and peaked at 2.6 million in the UK while garnering a 63-percent Scottish audience share.
Here’s how those viewers reacted to goalkeeper David Marshall saving Aleksandar Mitrović’s decisive penalty.
