Soccer prides itself on continuous flow of action over the course of 90 minutes. However, that will come to a screeching halt during this summer’s FIFA World Cup throughout North America. And soccer’s governing body will now allow broadcasters to cash in with commercials.
Given the World Cup will be played in North America in some very warm locales during the height of summer, FIFA is instituting three-minute hydration breaks midway through each half. But while soccer fans are use to enjoying games without commercial interruption, FIFA has now given the green light to broadcasters to use this time to sell commercials.
According to The Athletic, broadcasters like Fox Sports have been given permission by FIFA to break away from the game entirely for commercial breaks while players are hydrating. However, given this is FIFA we are talking about, it isn’t a straight-forward process.
There must be a 20 second buffer between when the whistle blows for a hydration break and the start of advertising and networks must return to coverage at least 30 seconds before play restarts. That’s a welcome step to ensure that no action is missed, however it still means that fans could have to sit through at least two minutes of commercials during each half.
There are some bizarre rules around the commercials as well. If networks choose to go with split-screen ads, they can only be sold to FIFA sponsors. However, if networks choose to cut away from the game entirely, they can sell full-screen commercials to anyone.
Broadcasters don’t have to cut away at all. They can use the hydration breaks to feature analysis from the studio or choose to stay with the match broadcast. However, given the millions of dollars that could be made from selling commercials during World Cup games, the chances of Fox Sports actually doing that might be as slim as the USA actually winning the tournament.
While the hydration breaks are understandable from the player safety perspective, allowing a full fleet of commercials to interrupt the action goes against pretty much everything that soccer fans enjoy about the game. And it’s fair to wonder if FIFA and its media partners might see this obvious revenue opportunity and figure out how to make it a regular occurrence for matches moving forward. When networks and sports leagues see the chance for a cash grab with more commercials interrupting the fan experience, they usually take it.
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