Fox versus Telemundo: How hydration breaks and commercials are disrupting World Cup viewing

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Fox is under fire for missing on-field action during the first match of the World Cup last week..Many sports fans were irate when the network aired a full-screen ad when play resumed after a water break during last Thursday’s Mexico–South Africa match.In the second half, the referee called for the newly instated hydration break, but the call came during a replay, which led to a miscommunication over when the three-minute break actually started.

Fox ran its full-screen ad late, and because the break didn’t last the full three minutes, players were reportedly left stalling on the field — and many Fox viewers missed the restart entirely.“The reason that I keep coming back to these games as a fan is for 45 solid minutes of entertainment.

Anything that interrupts that, whether it’s [these hydration breaks] or anything else, is not great for the game,” Garrett Denney, an avid World Cup fan and frequent user of the World Cup Reddit page, said.“What we want to see is that kind of rhythm and tempo, the intensity for a full half of soccer.” Fox declined to comment.The hydration break is new to the World Cup.

FIFA announced it in December as a way to protect players’ health in the summer heat.In every match, the referee is to call for a break around the 22-minute mark of both halves, regardless of weather.A FIFA spoesperson declined to comment, but pointed to a previous press release describing the breaks as a “focused attempt to ensure the best possible conditions for players, drawing upon the experiences of previous tournaments.” The extra minutes also created something else — a new advertising window, and broadcasters are taking advantage.

Networks are supposed to leave the on-field action 20 seconds after the referee signals the break and return 30 seconds before play resumes, allowing for ads of up to two minutes and 10 seconds in total.They can air any f...