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When Fox acquired the English-language U.S. broadcasting rights starting with the 2018 World Cup, there were obvious concerns about how Fox would approach its coverage. And though there have been some bright moments for the network's World Cup coverage, Fox has generally been a significant step down from its ESPN predecessors.
And with that, Telemundo saw an opportunity. Fox isn't pleased about it at all either.
Ahead of this World Cup — which is the final year for Fox after it had this cycle added by FIFA in a no-bid contract — Telemundo (the Spanish-language U.S. broadcaster for the World Cup) started marketing its coverage to English-speaker viewers. It had Owen Wilson lead an ad campaign, and every match is available on Peacock (which is half the price of Fox's Fox One streaming service). When viewers go to the app to watch Love Island, they see featured banners for World Cup broadcasts.
It has all been intentional.
According to a report from CNBC, this has led to tension between Fox and NBC/Telemundo as FIFA is now considering packaging English and Spanish into a single broadcaster for future World Cups.
The report added that Netflix, Disney and YouTube are considered the frontrunners to acquire the 2030 and 2034 World Cup rights, setting up a potential return to ESPN if Disney would be selected in the projected multibillion-dollar bid.
But really, it's easy to see why a significant number of English speakers are gravitating towards Telemundo's coverage. Simply put, Telemundo has been better.
While Fox has gone to commercial during hydration breaks, Telemundo stays with FIFA's global match feed. Telemundo doesn't have Alexi Lalas who is jarringly out of place alongside soccer legends Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Plus, you get calls on Telemundo like this one:
While Fox has focused more on elevating American voices (dropping Ian Darke to a B-broadcast) and cheerleading the U.S. men's national team, Telemundo has stayed true to the sport. Viewers notice the difference.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fox is reportedly upset that English speakers are watching Telemundo's World Cup coverage
Continue reading...
And with that, Telemundo saw an opportunity. Fox isn't pleased about it at all either.
Ahead of this World Cup — which is the final year for Fox after it had this cycle added by FIFA in a no-bid contract — Telemundo (the Spanish-language U.S. broadcaster for the World Cup) started marketing its coverage to English-speaker viewers. It had Owen Wilson lead an ad campaign, and every match is available on Peacock (which is half the price of Fox's Fox One streaming service). When viewers go to the app to watch Love Island, they see featured banners for World Cup broadcasts.
It has all been intentional.
According to a report from CNBC, this has led to tension between Fox and NBC/Telemundo as FIFA is now considering packaging English and Spanish into a single broadcaster for future World Cups.
The report added that Netflix, Disney and YouTube are considered the frontrunners to acquire the 2030 and 2034 World Cup rights, setting up a potential return to ESPN if Disney would be selected in the projected multibillion-dollar bid.
But really, it's easy to see why a significant number of English speakers are gravitating towards Telemundo's coverage. Simply put, Telemundo has been better.
While Fox has gone to commercial during hydration breaks, Telemundo stays with FIFA's global match feed. Telemundo doesn't have Alexi Lalas who is jarringly out of place alongside soccer legends Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Plus, you get calls on Telemundo like this one:
While Fox has focused more on elevating American voices (dropping Ian Darke to a B-broadcast) and cheerleading the U.S. men's national team, Telemundo has stayed true to the sport. Viewers notice the difference.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fox is reportedly upset that English speakers are watching Telemundo's World Cup coverage
Continue reading...
