A Philadelphia bartender was minding her own business at work when a customer asked what she viewed as a bizarre question about changing the channel. Here’s why.
TikTok creator Marina (@marinnnii) posted a video with her story this week. “Today I had a customer ask me to change the channel so we could watch the World Cup at the bar,” she says to start the video.
Marina did as he asked and continued with her shift duties. “I went about my business,” she says. “I circle back to his table, and he’s like, ‘Just so you know, you put the Telemundo version on.’ Yeah, that’s the better version. And he was like, ‘Yeah, can you just put on the American version?’ Mind you, we don’t even put the volume up in the bar.”
Is Telemundo The ‘Better Version’ Of World Cup Coverage?
In the comments section of the video, viewers reacted to the idea of a customer requesting the “American version” of World Cup coverage.
“Sir, Telemundo is still an American TV network,” said one viewer. “Just broadcasts in Spanish.” This person is correct; Telemundo is based in Miami, Fla., and is part of NBCUniversal.
“It’s the only good version,” a second person argued.
A third person said, “Telemundo has less commercial breaks and better angles.”
However, some viewers disagreed that Telemundo is the superior World Cup network. “Nah, Telemundo has a delay and Fox doesn’t both do have delays but Telemundo has a longer delay,” one person said.
The Comments Section Isn’t Alone In Preferring Telemundo
According to this NPR article, Marina and the folks in the comments vouching for Telemundo aren’t the only ones enjoying its Spanish-language coverage on the NBC streaming platform Peacock.
The network says it accounts for about half of overall viewership. In particular, the article states, fans report enjoying the calls of commentator Andrés Cantor and the network’s decision to forego extra commercials during hydration breaks.
Fox Sports, which owns the rights to the English broadcast, is apparently concerned about this trend, even though its coverage is also drawing millions of viewers. That’s likely because the competition among networks for the rights to sports events like the World Cup is fierce.
Sports fans discussed their preferences in this Reddit thread posted to r/worldcup over the weekend.
“It’s because a lot of Americans already pay for Peacock, so they end up just watching it there; and Peacock owns the Spanish language rights,” said one person. “It’s really that simple.”
“No hydration break commercials,” a second person suggested.
The Differences Between The 2 Broadcasts
“I already have Peacock so that made it easy,” a third person explained. “I had thought about purchasing the Fox one, but it was going to be so expensive. And then when I heard the commentary when I was at a watch party, the decision for Telemundo was solidified because the American commentary was terrible.”
How was the English coverage subpar? “They never talk about the game or the players who are actually on the pitch,” the person said. “It’s always talking about random people in the stands or somehow tying to the NFL team [from the stadium where] the game is being played at, or, when the United States was still in, how the USMNT would be playing in their next match. Just focus on the game in front of us! Telemundo does play by play so I learn the players’ names too.”
Others defended the Fox coverage. “John Strong and Stu Holden are my favorite commentators,” one person wrote. “I love hearing what Alexi Lalas and Zlatan Ibrahimović have to say.”
@marinnnii telemundo version only 🙅🏻♀️
BroBible contacted Marina via TikTok comment and email for comment.