Comcast-owned Telemundo says it will not cut away from water breaks during the FIFA World Cup men’s soccer tournament, opting against a new advertising opportunity that FIFA has made available to broadcasters.
In an interview with the Sports Business Journal this week, Miguel Lorenzo, the Senior Vice President of Sports Content at Telemundo, said the network’s goal is to provide an uninterrupted viewing experience throughout matches.
“We’re going to be staying on the match feed,” Lorenzo said. “Fans are going to be able to watch the players and the coach interactions. We’ll be having important match replays. Our commentators will be analyzing the moments.”
The decision comes as FIFA has expanded commercial opportunities around the 2026 tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Among the changes is the potential for broadcasters to sell advertising inventory during mandatory hydration breaks, which are increasingly common during matches played in high temperatures.
Telemundo’s move is likely to be welcomed by soccer fans who have expressed concern about growing commercialization surrounding the World Cup. The tournament has already faced criticism over ticket pricing, travel costs and FIFA’s decision to introduce a halftime entertainment show for the World Cup Final for the first time.
Lorenzo said Telemundo believes keeping viewers connected to the match environment is one of the most important ways to enhance coverage.
“None of that will be interrupted in any way,” he said. “Our goal is to create an authentic World Cup viewing experience.”
While Telemundo said it wouldn’t air commercial interruptions during the hydration breaks, the broadcaster stopped short of saying those water breaks wouldn’t be commercially sponsored in some other way. Like other broadcasters, Telemundo uses on-air graphics during game play to promote commercial services and products, though the images are typically minimal and relegated to a corner of the screen.
While Telemundo has publicly committed to maintaining live coverage during hydration breaks, Fox Sports — which holds English-language rights to the World Cup in the United States — has not publicly outlined how it plans to handle the stoppages.
The FIFA World Cup soccer tournament starts on June 11. Fox One will stream all games from Fox-owned channels, while Telemundo’s telecasts will be offered through NBC’s Peacock.
