U.S. Hispanic Networks’ World Cup Coverage

As the World Cup kicks off in Brazil, various Latino networks in the U.S. are hoping specialized coverage and second-screen extensions will satisfy the content demands of this traditionally soccer-crazed audience.

Leading the pack in beefed-up football offerings is Univision Communications, which holds the exclusive Spanish-language broadcast rights to the games in the U.S., along with Disney/ABC and ESPN. Its fledgling Univision Deportes Network (UDN) will take up the bulk of the coverage, devoting all of its programming hours to Cup-related content from the tournament’s start to its last game on July 13.

“[UDN] will offer more World Cup content than any other network in the U.S.,” says Juan Carlos Rodríguez, the president of Univision Deportes. “[There will be] passionate and colorful sports reporters spread through the cities offering football fans comprehensive programming and the latest happenings, in real time, on the World Cup.”

The network’s lineup includes new morning and evening shows, along with special editions of the channel’s daily programs, all broadcast live from Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, the Univision network will air live games narrated by a team of experts and commentators that will be simultaneously broadcast on UDN. Univision’s other Spanish-language networks, broadcast channel UniMás and cable network Galavisión, will air eight live games, along with special programming, while Galavisión will feature the best game of the day in an hour-long, prime-time format.

Also benefitting from Univision’s exclusive broadcast rights is Fusion, an English-language cable channel aimed at Latino Millennials that counts the media giant and Disney as its parent companies.

“They are helping us with logistics, and we will also be tapping into their bench of anchors and analysts to contribute to our coverage,” says Mark Lima, Fusion’s VP of news.

Additionally, the network has placed some of its regular 10 p.m. programming on hiatus, subbing in the irreverent commentary show Soccer Gods, which will air every night throughout the tournament. That show, hosted by Nando Vila and Simon Carr, is usually broadcast on Monday nights.

“Rather than watching two buttoned-up anchors or analysts, you get two fans who are both passionate about the sport, but also enjoy holding a magnifying glass to the caricatures and pageantry that goes along with soccer,” Lima says.

Besides original programming, social media and second screens are set to have a major impact on the way networks cover this edition of the international sporting event, especially when reaching out to younger fans. According to The Harris Poll, a quarter of 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed said they would post to social media while tuning in to World Cup matches, compared to 12 percent of all respondents; over a third of that demo said they’d look up game, team or player stats on a mobile device.

“The World Cup is going to be the ultimate multiplatform event,” Lima notes. His network has prepared by teaming up with a location-based social media management company to create a microsite featuring live blogging, in-depth features and curated social media content taken from fans in Brazil.

“We know there will be thousands of smartphones capturing the excitement at the games,” he adds. “This partnership will help Fusion to provide social content directly from the stands of the stadiums to our audience in real-time.”

Spanish-language sports channel ESPN Deportes, which has rights to the games through Disney, will similarly complement its traditional live coverage with additional feeds and digital offers. Ten games will be aired live on ESPN Deportes+, its broadband channel available to cable subscribers, with stats and social media updates available on the ESPN Sync app.

And due to the importance of this World Cup to the Latino market, even broadcasters without rights to the games are getting in on the specialized-content bandwagon.

“All Americans, but especially American Latinos, have a growing interest in soccer,” says Lynnette Ramirez, the senior VP of programming at NUVOtv. “It was important [for the network] to program content related to the World Cup this year, especially since it takes place in Brazil, a South American country.”

The English-language entertainment channel acquired two soccer-themed specials ahead of the tournament: Road to Rio, a 12-part road-trip series co-produced with Kia Motors, and The Fight for Brazil, billed as an insider’s guide to the international sporting event. The programs, which aired last month, were also accompanied by blog posts, online photo galleries and a social media presence.