Nearly half of World Cup watchers are choosing Telemundo over Fox

NPR | By Mandalit del Barco

Published July 2, 2026 at 2:59 PM CDT

The U.S. telecasts of this summer's World Cup games are drawing a record number of viewers. Fox, which broadcasts the games in English, reported 84 million viewers. But Telemundo says nearly half of all audiences in the country are watching its Spanish language broadcasts.

Mandalit del Barco

As an arts correspondent based at NPR West, Mandalit del Barco reports and produces stories about film, television, music, visual arts, dance and other topics. Over the years, she has also covered everything from street gangs to Hollywood, police and prisons, marijuana, immigration, race relations, natural disasters, Latino arts and urban street culture (including hip hop dance, music, and art). Every year, she covers the Oscars and the Grammy awards for NPR, as well as the Sundance Film Festival and other events. Her news reports, feature stories and photos, filed from Los Angeles and abroad, can be heard on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, Alt.latino, and npr.org.