NBC’s Premier League Fan Fest in Orlando, Florida was a tremendous success by any measurement. This was the eighth one that the broadcaster has held in the United States. And judging by the numbers, it may be the best one yet.



In what is now becoming a must-see event on the US soccer calendar each year, the Premier League Fan Fest was unique for a few different reasons. 



First, the setting was ideal. The stunning backdrop of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures added to the live footage from the event. There was so much to see in almost every camera shot. 



Second, the numbers continue to impress. According to NBC Sports executives we spoke with, twenty thousand people RSVP’d to attend the event (10,000 each day). Importantly, throughout the weekend, there were plenty of areas for fans to spread out, so not everyone was confined to one space. So despite the huge crowds, it didn’t feel claustrophobic at all.



Third, the location of the festival in <a href="https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/theme-parks/citywalk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Universal CityWalk</a> meant that every one of the 30,000 to 40,000 guests entering the two theme parks had to walk past the Fan Fest. As a result, more people stopped in their tracks to watch what was happening, which helped to swell the total number of people the Fan Fest reached.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="413" height="550" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20230125_WST_416850_premier-league-mornings-live.webp&amp;width=413&amp;height=550" alt="Banner at NBC&apos;s Premier League Fan Fest" class="wp-image-416880" srcset="https://uploads.futbolsitesnetwork.com/sites/6/2023/01/premier-league-mornings-live-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://uploads.futbolsitesnetwork.com/sites/6/2023/01/premier-league-mornings-live.jpeg 413w" sizes="(max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px"></figure></div></figure></div>



<h2>NBC’s Premier League Fan Fest: A mammoth event</h2>



Putting together a Premier League Fan Fest is no easy task. It takes months of planning, and also incorporates many departments from across NBCUniversal as well as the Premier League and its clubs.



“We started talking to [Universal Parks] about a Fan Fest, [with] no dates in mind, in April [2022],” said Senior Vice President of Consumer Engagement for NBC Sports Lyndsay Signor. “So, April to May was when we got everyone on board as far as hosting a Fan Fest [at Universal Studios].”



One of the unique aspects of the Fan Fest is that it’s open to any of the Premier League clubs who want to have visibility at the event.



“The Premier League tells its clubs, ‘If part of your strategy is growing your US fanbase, then this is the perfect opportunity to do so,&apos;” explained Director of Consumer Engagement for NBC Sports Kristin Hurst. “Clubs do different things. Everybody wants to make a mark with that fanbase.”



Some clubs even bring animals on set.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">.<a href="https://twitter.com/CPFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CPFC</a> mascots Pete and Challenger have landed at the Orlando Fan Fest! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyPLMorning?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyPLMorning</a> <a href="https://t.co/KvgFwpKUBS">pic.twitter.com/KvgFwpKUBS</a>— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1616848075187785729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



It can get quite competitive between the Premier League clubs to try to outdo each other at the Fan Fest. 



“We love that part of it,” added Signor. “The goal would be to have every club represented. Obviously that takes resources from the club, but ultimately the goal is to have everyone here.”



Judging by the number of different jerseys worn by Premier League fans at the event, many of whom flew from across the United States to attend, there were fans from every club in the Premier League. Some fans flew from as far away as Europe to be there.



And there was even a few celebrity sightings too that mixed in with the crowd, including West Ham United supporter (and English film and TV actor) <a href="https://youtu.be/PkED3NaKBC8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ray Winstone</a>.



Many of the attendees were there to support their club, but to also see <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/rebecca-lowe-reflects-on-10-years-of-premier-league-on-nbc-20230123-WST-416491.html">Rebecca Lowe</a>, The 2 Robbies and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/tim-howard-on-his-role-as-the-american-voice-of-premier-league-coverage-20230124-WST-416503.html">Tim Howard</a> in person.



<h2>Where the next Premier League Fan Fest may be heading</h2>



“We keep upping the ante,” Signor said. “We don’t expect each one to get bigger capacity-wise. It really depends on the venue and city. For us, it’s about the best Fan Fest experience whatever venue we’re at.



“A lot of clubs and supporters clubs in cities are constantly pitching us. Atlanta’s fanbase is very bullish. A lot folks want us to go to the Midwest. A lot of folks want us to come back. 



“Everything is possible. We just have to digest these two [recent fan fests in Philadelphia and Orlando]. But there will definitely be a next one for sure.”



That’s music to the ears of soccer fans across the United States.

We interviewed two executives about NBC's Premier League Fan Fest to understand what it takes to make an event like this possible.

NBC's Premier League Fan Fest a huge hit in Orlando, Florida - World Soccer Talk

NBC's Premier League Fan Fest a huge hit in Orlando, Florida

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It’s time for another edition of the World Soccer Talk Reader Mailbag. This week, we tackle US Open Cup coverage, the Premier League Fan Fest, CONCACAF, Serie A and the FIFA Club World Cup. Don’t forget to add any new questions you might have in the comments below, and we’ll do our best to answer those next week. The questions don’t have to be about streaming. Remember, they can be about soccer too.



Dave: A few US Open Cup questions: 1) Have Turner announced coverage plans and/or outsourced rights to someone else? 2) Which rounds historically are the most entertaining, with a good mix of minnows and big names (like Third/Fourth round proper of FA Cup)? I remember last year having several very fun weeks



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;1) There has been no additional news about the US Open Cup TV coverage since <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/us-open-cup-media-deal-20220216-CMS-371017.html">our story discussed the deal</a> almost twelve months ago. Once we get closer to the First Round in late March, we expect to have more details about the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/02/15/cindy-parlow-cone-talks-us-soccer-media-rights/">media rights</a>.



2) The round when MLS teams start to enter (this year is the third round, April 25-26) where they will potentially face off against lower division professional or even amateur teams is always a lot of fun. Everyone loves a good underdog story and some giant-killing moments. We’re hoping for another Sacramento-type run this year, just like last year when they <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/09/07/orlando-city-wins-us-open-cup/">reached the US Open Cup final</a>.



Dave, thanks for your questions. It’ll certainly be fascinating to see how Warner Bros-Discovery broadcasts the US Open Cup given that last year’s coverage on <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a> was one of the best in recent memory.



Bill: Just wondering if you guys went to Fan Fest in Orlando this past weekend and if not, why not (just being nosey)? I know Fan Fest is a very American sports flashy thing and not the seriousness respect of the sport y’all prefer but it looks fun to be there.



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;We were there. Kartik Krishnaiyer and I arrived on Thursday evening to prepare for our early morning interviews with the talent from NBC Sports on Friday. We interviewed <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/rebecca-lowe-reflects-on-10-years-of-premier-league-on-nbc-20230123-WST-416491.html">Rebecca Lowe</a>, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/tim-howard-on-his-role-as-the-american-voice-of-premier-league-coverage-20230124-WST-416503.html">Tim Howard</a> and The 2 Robbies. Then on Saturday, I interviewed Alan Shearer, Gary Cahill and NBC Sports executives, so keep an eye out for those interviews later in theweek on this website.



Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend there. For me personally, my favorite part was talking to the soccer fans who traveled from across the country to attend the Fan Fest in Orlando. I also loved seeing all of the different shirts that the American soccer fans wore, which was an eclectic mixture of clubs, to say the least.



If you’re reading this and you’ve never attended any of the Fan Fests, I highly recommend you go to the next one. It was so much fun.



Francisco: For next season, is there going to be any streaming service or channel that is going to pick up the rights to broadcast Italian Serie A in Spanish?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;<a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paramount+</a> continues to have the rights to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/serie-a-tv-schedule/">Serie A</a> in all languages, but so far the streaming service has been reluctant to offer Spanish-language commentary to the games.



Honestly, though, the cost of providing Spanish-language commentary for Serie A matches may be cost prohibitive. I don’t believe there’s enough demand from Spanish-language viewers to make it worthwhile. 



Francisco, I know that other fans of Serie A have asked for Spanish-language commentary too. My advice would be to try to round up more fans on social media, and ask them to <a href="https://help.paramountplus.com/s/contact-us" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">let Paramount+ know</a> that you want games in Spanish.



Jason: What CONCACAF based competitions are on Paramount+ in 2023?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;Looking ahead to 2023, <a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paramount+</a> has the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/concacaf-nations-league-schedule/">Concacaf Nations League</a>, which returns at the end of March.



Jason: What streaming service has the FIFA Club World Cup in February?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;Great question, Jason. As you probably know, FOX Sports and Telemundo have the television rights to the competition. While FOX Sports still do not have a direct-to-consumer streaming service (other than Tubi, which showed games on demand at the World Cup), your best bet is to watch all of the games in Spanish via <a href="https://imp.i305175.net/c/330866/1313913/11640" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Peacock Premium</a> for $4.99 per month (which also includes 180 Premier League games per season as well as USMNT and USWNT games).



Presumably FOX Sports will show games via their FOX Sports app.



That’s all for this week. Don’t forget to ask your questions in the comments below, and we’ll answer in the Reader Mailbag next Tuesday

The World Soccer Talk Reader Mailbag answers your questions about TV and streaming coverage, and soccer in general, every week.

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NBC's Premier League Fan Fest a huge hit in Orlando, Florida

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