FOX is not only preparing for major football matchups on Thursday. The network is also getting ready for its broadcast of a major futból matchup featuring the U.S. and English men’s national teams on Friday at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Anticipation for this weekend’s matchup has grown so high that Front Office Sports has reported that FOX is looking to garner $600,000 for a 30-second ad during the match. Meanwhile, Bloomberg suggests that 30-second ads could for as much as $700,000 during the World Cup battle. To put the ad price in perspective, ads during other broadcasts cost approximately $300,000.
This year’s coverage of the World Cup is a bit different than previous years. Due to the extreme heat of Qatar, the event was pushed back to November. As a result, FOX must compete with NBA, NHL, NFL, college basketball and college football broadcasts throughout the four-week tournament. During the first night of the tournament, FOX and Telemundo pulled in approximately seven million viewers. However, viewership during America’s first match against Wales fell behind previous World Cups in 2014 and 2010.
World Cup action picks up on November 24 with Switzerland vs. Cameroon at 5 a.m. EST, followed by Uruguay vs. South Korea at 8 a.m. EST. The highly-anticipated US-England showdown will begin at 2 p.m. EST on Friday.
