The NBCU Hispanic Group has met its advertising revenue goal of $225M for the ‘18 FIFA World Cup while virtually fulfilling all of its inventory. NBCU Exec VP/Lifestyle & Hispanic Advertising Sales Laura Molen said the net can still make some advertising positions available as the tournament progresses, but that all major advertising categories will be featured alongside its coverage. She noted specific interest from marketers in the studios and technology categories (Ian Thomas, Staff Writer).
Cantor said he hopes he will be able to attract people that did not like soccer beforeGETTY IMAGES
SHOT CALLER: The AP's Ronald Blum noted Telemundo "wants to attract viewers with a different sound" during the World Cup by utilizing broadcaster Andrés Cantor's memorable calls. NBC aired a 10-second ad of Cantor "shouting 'Goal!' during the Super Bowl" and he called a goal by Wild C Eric Staal during an NHL telecast on NBC. Additionally, NBC's Arlo White "did a Cantor impersonation during the final weekend of NBC's Premier League coverage in May." Cantor said he hopes he attracts "people that didn't like soccer before, [who were not] that enthusiastic about soccer because they thought it was a boring, low-scoring game." Telemundo Deportes Senior VP/Brand & Content Development Bill Bergofin said that World Cup coverage will be "promoted on 'Today,' 'NBC Nightly News,' 'Late Night with Seth Meyers,' 'Morning Joe' and even Syfy -- outlets Univision never had available." Telemundo will "broadcast every match from Russia" (AP, 6/11).
LANGUAGE SPECIFIC: NBCU will air select World Cup games in Spanish on NBCSN, in addition to the previously announced coverage across its networks. NBCSN currently has Sunday’s Brazil-Switzerland match on its TV listings, and Molen said it may also feature the Mexico-Germany game, as well as other big matches throughout the tournament (Thomas).
