Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, has made a significant observation about the state of soccer in the United States. According to Conde, soccer has reached a ‘critical mass’ in the country, with evidence of this trend being seen in the way non-Spanish speakers have ‘woken up’ to NBCU’s coverage on Telemundo and Peacock.

Conde made these remarks at Telemundo’s Playmakers event at NBCU’s 30 Rock headquarters, where he noted the impressive size of World Cup viewership across both English and Spanish. The viewership figures, which reached into the mid-40 millions for quarterfinal matches, are a testament to the sport’s growing popularity in the United States.

Notably, Conde pointed out that the tune-in to the World Cup was higher than the NBA Finals or baseball’s World Series, with the exception of the NFL. This suggests that soccer is rapidly becoming a major player in the American sports landscape.

Telemundo, which is part of Conde’s portfolio along with NBC News, local stations, and other properties, has Spanish-language rights to the World Cup. In contrast, Fox broadcasts the tournament in English. The differing approaches to game coverage have been a subject of interest and debate among fans and media professionals during the five-week tournament.

One notable aspect of Telemundo’s coverage is that it does not air commercials during the ‘hydration breaks’ created for this tournament by FIFA. This decision has been seen as a way to enhance the viewing experience for fans. Conde, however, did not explicitly address this issue, but his comments touched on the divide between the two networks’ approaches to soccer coverage.

According to Conde, ‘audiences have woken up to the coverage of soccer, regardless of language, when it’s covered in a very authentic way.’ He added that ‘the fact that Telemundo has generated so much of its audience in this World Cup from non-Spanish speakers speaks to that genuine passion for the sport.’ The chairman’s remarks underscore the growing appeal of soccer in the United States, with the numbers and trends indicating a ‘different moment’ for the sport.

The upcoming title game between defending champion Argentina and Spain is expected to be a blockbuster event, especially on Telemundo’s side of the aisle. Conde was asked about his preference for Argentina or its semifinal opponent, England, but he demurred. A senior Telemundo executive, however, described the matchup as a ‘dream scenario’ due to the strong loyalty of both fan bases and the fact that both countries are Spanish-speaking.

Conde’s interview with NBC News anchor Tom Llamas was a testament to the corporate synergy between the two networks. However, Llamas’ questions also touched on the reported tensions between Fox and Telemundo, with Fox execs feeling that NBCU has maneuvered around the restrictions and has an unfair route to viewers through Peacock.

The exact number of non-Spanish speakers tuning into Telemundo’s broadcasts is difficult to determine, but the sense of crossover has been evident in meme culture and social media’s embrace of lead Telemundo announcer Andrés Cantor and his signature call of ‘gooooooaaaaaaaalllll!’

When asked about the biggest surprise of the World Cup, Conde replied, ‘Soccer is the biggest global sport, it’s the fastest-growing team sport here in the United States. And we had high expectations, but I don’t think that we even in our best dream had the expectation of this passionate of a fan base here.’