Now the the group stage is over and we finally have a day’s rest before the knockout stage begins, let’s reflect on this year’s World Cup in terms of how it was received, discussed, and propagated online.
Like many, you may have watched yesterday’s match between the USA and Germany while sitting behind your computer at work – or huddling in the bathroom on your smartphone. We’re not here to judge.
VIDEO: Relive #USAGER with our #WorldCup video highlights @ussoccer @DFB_Team – http://t.co/X5YnGD99UX pic.twitter.com/UOMZP0SkrO
— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 27, 2014
It was quickly apparent that ESPN didn’t foresee or were at least unprepared for the amount of traffic their WatchESPN service would receive on Thursday. For about an hour during the game, many users were unable to stream the game. ESPN’s streaming app had crashed under the weight of American soccer mania.
Even with the issues, ESPN announced that they set a record for concurrent viewers during the USA/Germany bout. How many? 1.7 million. That’s more than the Fox Sports streaming app recorded during this year’s Super Bowl.
While the 1.7 million concurrent streamers perhaps weren’t all watching the USA/Germany game – you’d have to imagine that’s what the vast majority were tuned into.
The social response to the entire World Cup has been incredible as well. Twitter says that since the start of the group stage, there have been more than 300 million tweets related to the World Cup.
What does 300 million mean, in relation to other big sporting events?
“Just over two weeks into the #WorldCup and the tournament is already becoming one of the most talked about events on Twitter of all time. To give you a sense of scale for this volume of Tweets, sent over a 15-day period: we saw more than 150 million Tweets about the 2012 Summer Olympics in London over 16 days,” says Twitter.
That’s pretty impressive.
And then there’s this staggering figure from Facebook:
That 141 million is more than this year’s Super Bowl, Oscars, and the Sochi Olympics – combined.
Image via YouTube screenshot