Broadcast rights to major events like the World Cup are expensive for a reason. They bring eyeballs that can be used to generate revenue from advertisers and promote other programming on the network carrying the games.
FOX got its money’s worth out of the tournament in Qatar. Michael Mulvihill, the network’s Head of Strategy & Analytics, told Front Office Sports that the 2022 event outperformed expectations.
“Across English and Spanish coverage, Americans are going to spend more time watching the World Cup than they did watching March Madness.”
One of the biggest factors in FOX’s success is the return of the US Men’s National Team to the competition. While ratings are down from the team’s last appearance in 2014, FOX has enjoyed more viewers this year than it did in 2018, when the USMNT failed to qualify for the tournament.
Another major factor? Star power. Both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé found the net multiple times in a tightly contested final that saw Argentina defeat France on penalty kicks.
“There aren’t many better narratives in sports than a matchup of generational talents competing for a championship,” said Mulvihill. “We couldn’t have asked for a better matchup, and I suspect broadcasters all over the world feel the same way.”
