The Only Match That Matters

ABC will air the final game of the World Cup today at 2 pm ET. Does that mean we'll have to endure breaks for ads during play?

Comments

[Jeremías]

No interruptions during play, but ABC might have more junk along the edges of the screen than Univision.

[Tom]

Is that world wide? heaven forbid Proper US Television on the world screens

[Randy Paul]

Tom,

There is a worldwide camera feed supplied by FIFA that all nations broadcasting the game will use as they have been doing thoroughout the cup.

To Disney's (they own ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 btw) credit, despite their absolutely horrible commentators (and two of the worst, Dave O'Brien and Marcelo Balboa will be calling the game), they have been the only major US media outlet except for the Fox Soccer Channel that have really made a commitment to the sport in the US. They carry the national team games, UEFA Champions' League and the WC. I believe the interruptions of play for commercials ended in 1986.

[Nick]

Which is a major reason soccer, as you call it, has not been popular in this country. The money is just not there in advertising when you have no easily defined periods, timeouts - look at the NBA, NFL, not to mention baseball. Furthermore, in baseball, games are routinely longer than the 90-minute soccer match - dispelling the myth that audience short-attention spans are to blame.

[Comandante Agi]

American commentators suck. Watch the games on a Spanish language network for some exciting commentary.

Umm, Nick, have you noticed that the sidelines of the field are littered with ads for everything from soft drinks, to cell phones to ISPs?