Forget the analyzes and statistics, forget the intricate calculations to determine clashes with third placed teams (not even FIFA understands), forget the daily records.
None of this makes much difference in the intense search for an audience of an increasingly younger and digital audience.
And, in this World Cup, it is not Globo that has competitors on its heels. It is the one that is chasing digital rivals, mainly in the form of CazéTV.
To be “cool”, the different channels of the Globo group are doing everything they can.
One day, a reporter goes to Mexico to interact with mariachis (which isn’t exactly top 10 originality); in the other, presenters and commentators try to imitate Matheus Cunha’s surfing celebration in the studio; On open TV, a poll is launched to ask viewers who their favorite World Cup relative is: Mom, Dad, Uncle or Mom.
However, at least on social media, the move seems to have backfired.
Any attempt to make fun of any of the network’s tentacles is duly criticized or ridiculed by internet users.
Usually the criticisms are in the same tone, and always with comparison. “Look at Globo trying to be funny like CazéTV”, or “Globo can’t be funny for the younger generation and is silly for the older one”.
They don’t even ignore Fábio Porchat’s daily presence on the nights of the Copa Central — he was in the surfing celebration trio —, after all, the guy comes alive by being funny, and doing it well.
Interestingly, any joke, joke or nonsense of the same genre is defined as “organic” or “genius” when it is made by CazéTV; but it becomes “ridiculous” or “copy” in the country’s main communication channel. Sometimes the same joke.
It’s true that not everything is thorns. Everaldo Marques’ narrations (in the first World Cup after Christ without Galvão Bueno) have been praised, as have comments by Ana Thaís Matos.
In a way, it’s as if the internet user had given the go-ahead for Casimiro Miguel’s digital channel to do whatever it wants: everything is free. But Globo did not gain the same popular/online support or consent.
The fact is that CazéTV started ahead, way ahead, in the main aspect of the World Cup: the games. Only the digital channel has all 104 matches of the competition in its schedule.
In fact, the Rio broadcaster also tried to make the World Cup joke with delay. On the internet, it didn’t work — but, according to the column Outro Canal, by Gabriel Vaquer, there was a considerable increase in the sale of antennas on Shopee and Amazon.
Ge TV was created in September 2025 with the mission of sharing the Cazé cake. He hired several people including journalists, influencers, narrators, influencers, former player-commentators, influencers and influencers.
Exactly one World Cup ago, when Brazil ended its participation in the group stage with a defeat to Cameroon, CazéTV had around 3.6 million subscribers. One World Cup later, it is already close to 36 million.
Interestingly, another rival united two metaverses that were once global successes in the same world, Tiago Leifert and Galvão Bueno, on SBT.
For a long time, Leifert acted as the perfect connection between sport and the digital audience, even when the broadcaster turned its nose up.
In an interview with Charla Podcast last year, shortly after the creation of Ge TV, he — who was in charge of Globo Esporte from 2009 to 2015 — praised the launch and wished his friends success. He also recalled, however, that he tried many times to increase the sport’s digital presence on Globo, without success.
“Globo was very afraid of anything that could cannibalize their audience,” he said, remembering that he couldn’t even mention the names of social networks, such as Twitter or Facebook.
At the 2010 World Cup, the Copa Central led by Leifert, in a relaxed tone, was also successful, mainly by laughing at itself. The presenter played with the famous “shut up, Galvão” case, which went viral on the internet and even scared the narrator.
“Globo is so big and has so much money that all the decisions that harmed it in some way were always its responsibility. If she wanted to have done it before, she could, she had the resources and had the rights, she didn’t do it because she didn’t want to, and that’s when Cazé was born”, said the SBT narrator.
Leifert recognizes that the broadcaster is correcting course. “There are a lot of good people there, and a lot of resources. And when mom comes…”, he joked, about Globo’s negotiating strength.
