Spain-Italy Euro 2012 final sees ratings bump in U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Spain's 4-0 win over Italy in the European Championship final drew an audience of 4,068,000 on ESPN, up 8 percent over the 3,761,000 who watched La Furia Roja's 1-0 win against Germany in the 2008 final on ABC.

In addition, 563,000 watched Sunday's final on computers, smart phones, tablets and Xbox, with a minute average of 194,097.

ESPN said Tuesday the 31-game tournament averaged 1.3 million viewers, up 51 percent for the 859,000 average for 2008. Digital viewers averaged 289,000 per game, with an average minute audience of 96,102.

The final had a 2.4 rating, up from a 2.3 in 2008, with households rising 6 percent to 2,699,000 from 2,552,000.

For the tournament, New York averaged a 2.1 rating, followed by Miami-Fort Lauderdale (2.0), Providence, R.I. (1.7), Los Angeles (1.5), San Francisco (1.4) and Washington, D.C. (1.4).

The final was the most-watched telecast ever on Spanish-language ESPN Deportes, getting a 12.9 rating among the Hispanic audience with 1,125,000 viewers and 700,000 households. ESPN Deportes averaged 324,000 viewers for its 27 live matches, up from 136,000 for 26 games in 2008.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.