As Vuvuzelas Continue, ESPN/ABC Will Find Balance In Sound
CNBC Sports Business Reporter
It is definitely one of the most annoying sounds in all of sports. Yes, all of us who have been watching the World Cup now know what a Vuvuzela is.
If you haven't, picture 60,000 bumble bees buzzing at the same time for 90 straight minutes while you're trying to watch a soccer game.
After reports that FIFA might ban the South African horn, word came on Monday that this was no longer an option. So now we're forced to deal with it.
As to how much we'll hear, it will depend on the crowd (we didn't hear as much at this morning's Japan-Cameroon match because the crowd was smaller), but ABC/ESPN might also do its part to see what they can do.
ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys told me that the broadcaster did not approach FIFA to ask for any sort of ban of the horns.
"It's part of the experience and flavor of football in South Africa," Soltys said. "We do mix audio for matches, just like we do for other events we cover. The goal is to find the right balance of natural sound with calls of our commentators."
Meanwhile, a company called Moblio based in Amsterdam has created a free Vuvuzela app that, when you download it, you can choose what color horn you want to blow and the vuvuzela will blow if you touch the horn or shake the iPhone. The company says that it has already been downloaded 750,000 times.
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