He knows how to produce him in a way that makes it a cultural touchstone.
This years WWC numbers followed arecord breaking audience for the 2022 World Cup finalbetween Argentina and France.
The U.S. has also submitted a bid to host the Womens World Cup with Mexico in 2027.
David Neal, Mariona Caldentey of Spain controls the ball against Lucy Bronze of England during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final.Courtesy/Getty
DEADLINE: Can we start by talking about when Fox first acquired the English-language rights to the World Cup?
What were the goals and the vision for what soccer could be in the U.S.?
DAVID NEAL:The timeline is that Fox acquired the rights in 2011.
So that would have been in late 2011.
There was a disparity at the time.
DEADLINE: So, what needed to be done?
It just seemed clear to us that, as a sports team, this group was ready to dominate.
They just needed the experience of going through 2011 so that they were going to be ready in 2015.
Robert Gottlieb went and said, This is a group of badass women athletes.
You guys are great.
Were going to celebrate [you].
They all said, Were in.
DEADLINE: And of course, they won in 2015.
So going into 2019, audiences really did take such an interest in the team.
NEAL:In sports, American viewers love a winner.
They love teams that go out and just dominate.
So the quest in 2015 was a little bit like, We gotta get going here.
Its been 16 years.
It became an interesting dynamic.
They went from the chasers to the ones who were being chased.
DEADLINE: So that brings us to this World Cup.
NEAL:We use a gear called the 33rd team.
He pre-shot a lot of different things around the country.
The mood and attitude was a lot different there than it is now.
That was something that created its own momentum.
So we rode that wave.
We spent enough time making sure that viewers knew about England and Sweden and Australia.
Its one of the greatest tournaments regardless of gender of all time.
Its not what you want.
So we shifted our operational strategy.
DEADLINE: The time zones also made this a pretty challenging World Cup for U.S. audiences.
How do you operateat that disadvantage?
I did the Olympics in Sydney 2000 with NBC.
There was a bit of a tape delay mentality still in our business back then.
So it was really a time warp.
So thats what we did.
Clearly now, 23 years later, thats no longer the case.
Viewers want it available live.
The show peaked at 2.4 million.
Given the context of the fact that it was overnight, those are still pretty strong numbers.
And they certainly didnt have the winning streak the women did.
What was happening with that?
NEAL:First of all, the timezone differences werent as bad.
Would he get the World Cup?
And would he do it against this dynamic French side, which had won the previous World Cup?
So that story sort of sold itself.
England versus Australia in the final would have been that sort of dynamic.
But we need to do a better job producing all the international storylines.
NEAL:Lionel Messi is like Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan level.
People worldwide around the globe would instantly recognize who he is.
To see him come to the U.S. and have such a spectacular start, thats fairytale stuff.
Those stories are hard to write.
I think it definitely helped.
DEADLINE: So, the next World Cup will be hosted by North America.
The U.S. has also submitted a bid to host the Womens World Cup the following year.
What will this do to solidify soccer in the U.S. on a larger level?
NEAL:Theres no substitute for a friendly timezone.
This is a simple fact.
The Olympics is still sort of primetime storytelling.
They eat, sleep and breathe it.
With the World Cup, youre not doing multiple sports.
Its got to still be language and explanations and storytelling that are easily understood.
