MIAMI (AP) — Ashley Hallam teaches English as a second language at a local library in Indiana. Soccer is currently teaching Spanish as a second language.
For her, this World Cup could not have been more meaningful.
Hallam is one of quite a few English speakers in the United States who are doing something a little surprising these days. They are watching the World Cup match broadcast. in Spanish on Telemundo, Even if they could barely understand what the announcer was saying, or sometimes not at all.
“I can’t understand what they’re saying on Telemundo at all because they’re speaking Spanish,” Hallam said. “But you understand what’s going on.”
The calculation is easy. According to census figures, about 20% of the U.S. is Hispanic, but Telemundo cited Nielsen ratings showing that about half of U.S. World Cup viewers watched at least part of some games in Spanish. U.S. viewers can watch every game of the tournament in English on Fox or FS1 and in Spanish on Telemundo or Universo, with streaming options including Fox One and Peacock.
Among the common reasons cited by viewers who spoke to The Associated Press in recent days: Famous broadcaster Andres Cantor’s “Goo goo!” phone call. Telemundo does not cut commercials (like FOX). Interruption of hydration can have very negative effects. Some people simply find broadcasting more interesting. In other cases, the decision may be based on cost. Peacock, which includes Telemundo, is cheaper than Fox One.
Soccer as a world language that goes beyond a limited vocabulary
Jackson Braunius, a Michigan native, watched the U.S. game last week from a bar seat at a steakhouse in Miami Lakes, Florida. He said he spoke little Spanish — “I know ‘cerveza,'” he said, tapping a beer glass — but never bothered watching Telemundo shows.
“I understood the science here,” Braunius said. “When they’re not talking too loudly, there’s nothing going on. When they’re talking loudly, they have a chance. When they’re talking really loud, it’s probably going to be a goal.”
comedian trevor noah is hosting a World Cup watch party on YouTube. He switched to a Spanish feed, but the issue of hydration breaks was a big part of that decision.
“You can see the players on the pitch talking about what’s going on. You can see which coach is more stressed out. Some players are patting each other on the back. That’s part of the game,” Noah said on his YouTube stream. “When you get cut to an ad, you feel like you’re losing this. You’re losing stress, you’re losing joy, you’re losing anticipation. So, shout out again, Telemundo. Really, really great coverage.”
Telemundo has heard the praise and thanked the English-speaking world and directly Noah for praising its coverage.
The good news for you is this. It looks like there’s more than enough viewers right now. And the success of the tournament could lead to a bidding war for the 2030 World Cup, with reports suggesting that the deal would package TV rights for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries together. That was not the case at this World Cup.
Fox Sports reported Monday night. Belgium vs. USA match records highest viewer ratings At one point, a total of about 41 million people watched, making it “the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history,” the network said. In other words, America’s final game of this World Cup drew more viewers than any game in this country since the Super Bowl. The average viewership between Fox (33 million) and Telemundo (estimated at 12 million) was at least 45 million. The most recent Super Bowl averaged about 125 million viewers, according to Nielsen data.
English speakers are hooked on Telemundo
William Kennedy, who lives in Miami, is married to a Colombian woman whose native language is Spanish. He says he only knows enough Spanish to order food at a restaurant. Still, he found himself watching a lot of World Cup games on Telemundo.
If Columbia had been on the air, the Kennedys would have been monitoring Telemundo. If Colombia, which lost on penalties to Switzerland on Tuesday, doesn’t play, Kennedy often finds himself heading to Telemundo anyway.
“When American commentators are playing a game, I don’t know what game they’re watching. I just don’t know,” Kennedy said. “I’d rather feel the excitement in Spanish, because basically what’s happening is they’re talking, and then they’re talking really, really fast, and then they get loud, and your brain just goes, ‘Oh, something’s happening, even if you don’t understand what’s going on.'”
Hallam feels the World Cup is a great way to bond with her Spanish-speaking students, but she only became a big soccer fan a few years ago when her daughter decided she wanted to play. A recreational league for elementary school students. The league needed a coach, so Hallam literally turned to “Coaching for Dummies” books and began teaching himself the game.
She continued to coach her daughter all the way through high school. Now, she’s obsessed with soccer and Spanish-speaking broadcasts, and plans to continue watching even after the World Cup is over.
“It’s very comforting,” Hallam said. “I really enjoyed it, so I hope I can continue. I plan to watch the next World Cup like this too.”
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Ramey reported from Indianapolis.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
