While US audiences like to think of the Super Bowl as that time of year when advertisers wrangle in the big bucks, the upcoming World Cup, an event that lasts for way more than one game, appears it will blow the Super Bowl Sunday ads clear out of the water. In fact, between fees and sponsorships, it's shaping up to be around .4 billion that FIFA will be lining its pockets with - and that's just from rights fees and sponsorships! While that's a hefty wad of cash by any standards, one has to consider the sheer number of viewers who will be tuning into this athletic contest in the month of June. It is estimated that this year's numbers will surpass those from the last World Cup, held in 2006 when a modest 715 million people tuned in. While the 2010 Super Bowl still holds the viewing record at about 106.5 million people for the most watched singular program ever (did you know the previous record holder was the final episode of M*A*S*H?), the World Cup means far more games, and far more cash to rake in.
What is the best way to gain access to world cup coverage? This year more fans than ever are relying on satellite TV to bring them all the action. For example, this year ESPN and Univision will be covering the action. The Spanish language channel Univision has recently switched over to HD to enhance the viewing experience, and of course boost subscription sales along the way. In US markets advertisers and sponsors are heavily relying on the success of the American team to improve visibility of the sport, and the World Cup event, which has traditionally been quietly overlooked in the States. As the rest of the world gathers around their televisions to not miss a minute of the action, the US seems to go blissfully unaware of the insanity happening all around it. While increasing the marketing base may not be the most noble of intentions in spreading the popularity of the sport, it probably wouldn't hurt old glory to take a gander at one of the world's pastimes.
As so poignantly put by Alina Falcon, president of news and sports at Univision, the World Cup is embraced as a "Mega-event, not just as a sporting event." This is no time to skimp on production, marketing and coverage expenses, but rather a time to go all out in an attempt to draw in and hook an entirely new audience. ESPN is following suit and investing more dough on World Cup promotion than it has before in the channel's 30 years on television. The downside is the networks might not see that much outright profit after the event. The upside is the networks will likely help open up the US soccer market, one which has been increasingly drifting towards the internet to watch overseas contests. With such programs shown live online, it seems there is no reason to depend on television coverage to get access. Now, satellite television networks are looking to change all that and put soccer up on the bigger screen, where they believe it belongs.
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