The Women’s World Cup was a smashing success across the board – record ratings, heightened awareness for the USWNT, and a championship for the US team. The event was also a financial smash hit for Fox, which earned $40 million from advertising revenue during the tournament according to Media Life Magazine.

To put that number in perspective, ESPN earned just $6 million in advertising revenue during the 2011 Women’s World Cup. Nearly seven times the revenue for ads? That’s incredible.

Fox apparently made a huge gamble with their spots, selling out of nearly all of them ahead of time but holding some back in the event of a deep US run into the tournament. Sure enough, the winning streak rolled along, viewership went through the roof, and Fox was able to cash in.

But the women’s game still pales in comparison to the men’s game. Fox *did* draw nearly seven times the advertising revenue as ESPN did four years ago, but the men’s World Cup from Brazil lats year brought in an astounding $529 million. Yeah, that’s 13 times the amount Fox earned this year.

So while the Women’s World Cup drew solid viewership and captivated a nation, in the grand scheme of things, it’s still small potatoes to the men’s World Cup. However, I’d assume that Fox will be able to capitalize on a strong tournament this year and bring in even more revenue during the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. I just don’t think they’ll be able to do that to the tune of “half a billion dollars”.

[Media Life Magazine]