The FIFA World Cup is the world’s most widely viewed sporting event, as 32 soccer powers from across the globe get together every four years to compete for a solid gold trophy and major bragging rights. But for Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo, next year’s tournament has even higher stakes because of its appeal to an increasingly important bilingual group of Americans — and the fact that it’s one of the few shows on linear TV that seems to be drawing a growing audience.
NBCUniversal’s Telemundo just finished broadcasting what’s essentially the tournament’s dress rehearsal, the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. The eight-team tournament takes place in the same host country as the following year’s big show and is designed to get everyone, from teams to local partners to facilities managers, ready for the main event.