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Fox’s coverage of the opening match in Mexico City between the host nation and South Africa didn’t include a pregame performance by Shakira, and it cut to full-screen commercials during the two mandatory hydration breaks.
FIFA organized opening ceremonies ahead of the first match for each of the three host nations. Telemundo showed the performance featuring Shakira, Burna Boy, J Balvin, and other artists.
Fox instead cut to four of its analysts from an empty stadium in Los Angeles, and went back to the same crew during halftime. The U.S. Men’s National Team plays its opening match of the tournament on Friday against Paraguay in L.A.
Fox did air other parts of FIFA’s opening ceremony, including a procession of flags from the tournament’s 48 participating nations, a performance by Andrea Bocelli and EJAE, and the South African and Mexican national anthems.
During the match, when it was time for the mid-half hydration breaks, Fox commentator Ian Darke introduced the pauses as being “powered by Powerade” before the broadcast cut to several full-screen commercials. In the second half, the broadcast returned from commercial after play had already resumed.
A spokesperson for Fox declined to answer why the broadcast didn’t show Shakira’s performance or comment on the hydration break strategy.
Hydration breaks are a new feature at the World Cup this year. After a heat wave at the Club World Cup in the United States last summer, FIFA instituted mandatory three-minute hydration breaks for all matches at the tournament, even ones that are held inside or don’t meet any heat threshold.
It hasn’t been clear what’s allowed during the hydration breaks. On May 31, when USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino had his squad huddle around a laptop during a hydration break in a friendly against Senegal, no one knew whether his use of technology would be allowed during the World Cup, including FIFA.
Crucially, the hydration breaks open up a new revenue stream for two mid-match TV commercials. While Telemundo, the Spanish-language rightsholder in the U.S., declared it won’t cut to full-screen commercials during the hydration breaks—though there could be some sponsored picture-in-picture displays—Fox has been cagey about its plan. The network said it was still discussing its strategy with FIFA in late May.
Earlier Thursday, Sports Business Journal reported Fox will take a hybrid approach to hydration breaks, with some of the pauses focused on analysis and others breaking for commercials.
While the Mexico opener is the first match of the tournament, Fox is more focused on Friday night’s U.S. game, with its A-team of Rebecca Lowe, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimović, and Alexi Lalas stationed in Los Angeles. Its lead announcers, John Strong and Stu Holden, are in Los Angeles and will call every USMNT game; Darke and Landon Donovan called a wild 2-0 Mexico win over South Africa that included three red cards.
Before Thursday’s broadcast, Lowe delivered a tribute to the late journalist and Fox correspondent Grant Wahl, who died covering the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
