LONDON, July 25: World Cup soccer delivered the equivalent of 64 Super Bowls during the month-long tournament, with an average TV audience of 93 million viewers for each match.

More than 5.9 billion people watched World Cup matches live in 54 global markets, according to a final tally released on Tuesday by media buying and planning firm Initiative.

About 284 million people tuned in to see Italy beat France on penalty kicks in the final on July 9, while 202 million watched the Germany-Italy semi-final and 188 million saw the other semi-final between Portugal and France.

The World Cup also attracted twice the number of viewers who watched the Athens Olympics opening ceremony, solidifying its place as the top draw for broadcasters and advertisers.

The once-a-year Super Bowl is usually the TV event of the year in the United States, the world's biggest advertising market, with companies paying $2.4 million to show a 30-second commercial during the three-hour broadcast.

This year's soccer tournament benefited from being played in

Germany, which offered convenient TV times for European and South American fans, many of whom missed the 2002 matches played in South Korea and Japan because of the scheduling.

The 2006 tournament attracted 10 percent more viewers than in 2002. It was about on par with the 1998 audience, though there were some shifts among various markets because of the teams that qualified and advanced. About 41 percent of the viewing audience was female,

Initiative found, the highest ever share for the World Cup.— Reuters