FS1 drew a 3.2 overnight for the match from 11:00am-1:00pm ET, the net’s best figure so far for the '18 WCGETTY IMAGES
Telemundo with Mexico-Germany led all sports telecasts over the weekend, drawing a 4.3 overnight rating for the FIFA World Cup match. FS1 drew a 3.2 overnight for the match from 11:00am-1:00pm ET, which was the cable net’s best WC figure to date for this year’s event. The Fox broadcast net yesterday was carrying the U.S. Open final round. Four years ago, in the opening weekend of the World Cup from Rio, ABC drew a 2.8 overnight for Ecuador-Switzerland in that Sunday afternoon window. An overnight for Univision’s coverage of the game was unavailable. Eight years ago, also in an early Sunday afternoon window, ABC drew a 3.5 overnight for Germany-Australia (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
STRONG START: THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch writes Fox play-by-play voice John Strong has been "one of the best parts" of the net's coverage of the World Cup so far. He is a "quality announcer with an excellent voice who understands how to build a goal call." He "smartly lets his analysts shine on set pieces, and he's always prepared when it comes to rosters." Deitsch notes Fox' play-by-play announcers over the first four days of the tournament "did well," particularly the lead announcing team of Strong and analyst Stuart Holden for Spain-Portugal on Friday. It was an "exceptionally high-quality match and Strong and Holden were up to the task." Holden was a "prophet on Spain's second goal and is also not afraid to be critical." Deitsch also singled out Fox' Kelly Smith and Ian Wright as the "best studio analysts I watched this weekend." There is an "intelligence with both analysts when it comes to praise and criticism of players and match tactics" (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/18).
PLEASANT SURPRISE: SLATE.com's Nick Greene noted Uruguay-Egypt on Friday was the first World Cup match this year to be "called by remote crews," with Fox' Mark Followill and Warren Barton on the call from the net's studio in L.A. Greene wrote, "I had no idea they weren't live in Yekaterinburg." The producers responsible for mixing the audio did a "great job, because bad remote commentary is extremely hard to ignore." Fox also gets "credit for not pretending these crews are at the game." If anything, the "worst-called game of the tournament thus far" was the opening Russia-Saudi Arabia match due to its "Moscow-based crew." Being close to the pitch did not make analyst Tony Meola "any more insightful" or play-by-play announcer JP Dellacamera's "sonorous cadence any less game-show like" (SLATE.com, 6/16).
BAD-FAITH PRACTICE: In N.Y., Andrew Marchand wrote Fox is "disrespecting its audience by promoting its World Cup games an hour earlier than they actually kick off." Fox promoted Friday's Spain-Portugal match by "listing its coverage" starting at 1:00pm ET, when the game was scheduled for 2:00pm. The net on Saturday noted France-Australia was at 5:00am, when it actually began at 6:00am. The seven-hour time difference between Russia and the U.S. "makes it difficult for people to know when games actually begin." Fox "doesn't make it easier, while just annoying viewers who plan an hour before kickoff" (N.Y. POST, 6/16).
WORK IN PROGRESS: THE ATHLETIC's Deitsch writes Fox' late-night show "World Cup Tonight" has been a "jumbled mess so far." The net's Fernando Fiore is a "likable figure but he's the wrong host for a post-game show of the magnitude of a tournament like this." Deitsch: "You can't help compare how far this aspect of coverage has fallen from the Bob Ley/Mike Tirico/Julie Foudy hosted late nights in Brazil" (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/18).
