The 2018 World Cup viewings plummeted in the United States this year compared to the 2014 World Cup. The Croatia – France final, which France won by a score of 4-2, drew 11.8 million viewers. However, back in 2014, the final drew 17.3 million viewers. This means that there was a 32% decrease in viewership compared to the last final.

One major factor was the time difference between the United States and Russia. Because Moscow is seven hours ahead of the United States, the game aired in the morning in America, despite being a night game in Russia. Because of France’s early lead, many viewers also probably stopped watching early, as France was the clear favorite to win the match.

Another contributing factor is that the United States Men’s National Team failed to qualify for the World Cup this year. This likely lead to a decrease in overall viewership in the United States. Even if the U.S. was in and had gotten eliminated early, more people would have stuck with and followed the tournament all the way through, resulting in more viewers for the final.

Back in 2011, Fox paid out over $400 million dollars for broadcasting rights for the final inboth 2018 and 2022, so these numbers will most likely sit poorly with the Fox executives. I expect to see a big push in advertising for the 2022 World Cup, as they will need far more viewers to cash in on their investment.

In France, however, TF1 drew record ratings, as they averaged 19.3 million viewers during the game and captured an 82.2% market share. Within the last year, events such as the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and the NCAA men’s basketball finals all saw declines in viewership.

I believe that this comes as a direct result of media convergence. Now people can simply watch the highlights on their phones, stream directly to their phones or laptops, or even just get score updates as the game continues. Many people will go do other things and will still be keeping up with the game, but not actually watching it. This would result in the viewership decline. Furthermore, illegal methods of streaming the games could possibly contribute.

I also feel like there is too much to consume at our fingertips today. It’s not that less people want to watch sports, it’s just that they’re choosing other things over the actual television, whether it be Netflix, YouTube, or even playing video games. People have more options now than they’ve ever had before, and as a result, some people will inevitably choose one of their other options over sports.

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