Soccer Fans Flock to FLO TV for ESPN's Live Coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

SAN DIEGO, July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As one of the world's greatest sporting spectacles reaches its final phase, one team is emerging victorious: the live mobile TV viewer.  FLO TV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), today announced that soccer fans across the United States are flocking to FLO TV to watch ESPN's live coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.   The increase in viewership validates FLO TV's strategy of programming live sports and breaking events, allowing consumers to stay connected on the go.

FLO TV has set several new service viewership records(1), with three of the games now ranking among FLO TV's most-viewed programs and average viewership spiking to 41 minutes on June 22 driven by the Mexico-Uruguay game.  In addition, some games are capturing an overwhelming majority of viewers during their timeframe.  The most notable example was the USA-Ghana match featuring FLO TV spokesperson Landon Donovan on June 26, which attracted nearly three-fourths of all service viewers during its timeframe.

"What this tells us is that the next best thing to being in the stadium might just be watching it on your mobile device," said Bill Stone, president of FLO TV.  "ESPN has done a fabulous job bringing the 2010 FIFA World Cup to viewers, and Landon's incredible goals were epic moments none of us wanted to miss.  In the coming months, we plan to add major franchises to our already strong sports line-up."

Among the key trends to date:

• The France-Mexico game on June 17 is now the highest-rated sports telecast in FLO TV's history, followed by the Mexico-South Africa matchup on June 11 and USA-Slovenia on June 18. The games are among FLO TV's most watched telecasts overall.
• Viewers are staying glued to their screens for much longer periods.  Length of viewership hit an all-time high during the Mexico-Uruguay match on Tuesday, June 22, with the average viewer tuned in for 41 minutes during the day.  In all, total usage minutes for FLO TV are up 34 percent in June over May and nearly one-in-five viewers are watching FLO TV for more than 60 minutes per viewing day.
• Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of all people watching FLO TV on June 26 from 2-5 p.m. EDT were tuned into the USA-Ghana matchup featuring FLO TV spokesperson Landon Donovan.  In all, World Cup matches are capturing approximately 40 to 80 percent of the FLO TV viewing audience.

Viewers can catch the 2010 FIFA World Cup through Sunday, July 11.  FLO TV is dedicated to bringing the best sports programming to viewers nationwide and just last month began offering UFC pay-per-view events.

About Qualcomm 

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in next-generation mobile technologies.  For 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other.  Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere.  For more information, visit Qualcomm around the Web:

www.qualcomm.com

Blog: www.qualcomm.com/blog

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About FLO TV

The FLO TV service combines the best content, an intuitive user interface and a superior multicast network to deliver a true quality TV viewing experience for consumers.  FLO TV offers full–length simulcast and time–shifted programming from the world's best entertainment brands, including ABC Mobile, Adult Swim Mobile, CBS, CNBC, CNN Mobile, COMEDY CENTRAL, Crackle, Disney Channel, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile, FOX News Channel, msnbc, MTV, NBC 2Go, Nickelodeon and UFC.  Based in San Diego, Calif., FLO TV Incorporated is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated.  Further information is available at www.flotv.com.

Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.  FLO is a registered trademark and MediaFLO is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

(1)  FLO TV usage data is processed by Rentrak Corporation.  Viewership numbers reflect preliminary usage from June 11-25, 2010.

SOURCE FLO TV Incorporated