NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the first time in its broadcast history, NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Media has acquired the exclusive Spanish language U.S. media rights to FIFA World Cup Soccer across all platforms (except radio) from 2015 through 2022, which includes the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, among other FIFA events. The joint announcement was made today by NBCUniversal and FIFA.
The agreement includes exclusive U.S. Spanish language all platform media rights (excluding radio) for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada – the year before NBCUniversal broadcasts the 2016 Rio Olympic Games – the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, FIFA Confederations Cup and all Under-20 and Under-17 FIFA World Cup matches in this time period. Additionally, the all-encompassing media agreement includes exclusive coverage and promotion of FIFA soccer events across multiple NBCUniversal properties including Spanish-language broadcast and cable television, Internet, broadband, wireless and Video-On-Demand.
“This landmark deal for Telemundo represents perhaps the greatest milestone in its history," said Lauren Zalaznick, Chairman, NBCUniversal Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media. “The acquisition of the FIFA World Cup, one of the world’s great sporting events, speaks directly to the commitment NBCUniversal has made in the future of Telemundo and to our diverse U.S. Hispanic communities that we serve.”
“We are extremely honored to be the Spanish-language home of the FIFA World Cup Soccer from 2015-2022 and bring this powerful property to our viewers with the high-production value they have come to expect from Deportes Telemundo,” said Emilio Romano, President of Telemundo. “Soccer is much more than a sport; it is a cultural phenomenon that inspires billions around the world and unites every community in a single language, the language of soccer. We are delighted to partner with FIFA to continue to grow the game of soccer in the United States.”
As part of the largest programming acquisition in its history, Telemundo – the fastest growing network in any language – becomes, for the first time ever, the exclusive U.S. Spanish language home of the FIFA World Cup. With the full promotional support of NBCUniversal, the Telemundo broadcast network and its local stations, cable network mun2, and all of Telemundo Media's associated online platforms will feature coverage of all FIFA Men and Women’s World Cup games from 2015 through 2022. Additionally, both Telemundo and mun2 will provide extensive coverage of the FIFA Confederations Cup, FIFA Men’s and Women’s U-17 World Cup, FIFA Men’s and Women’s U-20 World Cup as well as live coverage of the official draws and ceremonies.
Andres Cantor, Telemundo's Emmy-award winning sports anchor known as the "voice of soccer" around the world, will now become the play-by-play "face of soccer" for Telemundo's FIFA World Cup coverage. Deportes Telemundo has produced soccer events for over two decades. In addition to the FIFA events, Telemundo currently owns the exclusive U.S. broadcast and online rights to certain away FIFA World Cup qualifying matches of The Mexican National Team and the home of Mexico’s most popular club team Las Chivas de Guadalajara making Deportes Telemundo the premiere destination to the most comprehensive Spanish-language soccer coverage in the United States starting in 2015.
ABOUT TELEMUNDO MEDIA
Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal, is a world-class media company, leading the industry in the production and distribution of high-quality Spanish-language content across its multiplatform portfolio to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world. Telemundo’s multiple platforms include the Telemundo Network, a Spanish-language television network featuring original productions, theatrical motion pictures, news and first-class sports events, reaching U.S. Hispanic viewers in 210 markets through its 14 owned stations and its broadcast and cable affiliates; mun2, the preeminent voice for bicultural Hispanics in the U.S. reaching TV households nationwide on digital and analog cable, and satellite; Telemundo Digital Media, which distributes Telemundo’s original content across digital and emerging platforms including mobile devices, www.telemundo.com and www.mun2.tv; an owned and operated full power station in Puerto Rico that reaches 99% of all TV households in that DMA; and Telemundo Internacional, the international distribution arm which has positioned Telemundo as the second largest provider of Spanish-language content worldwide by syndicating content to more than 100 countries in over 35 languages.