A recap of news and trends in the Sports Marketing world as compiled by Portada’s Editorial team….
ESPN Deportes to Carry Spanish-language Telecast of Super Bowl 50
Disney owned ESPN in late December made a deal with CBS according to which the Spanish-language cable network ESPN Deportes will simulcast the Super Bowl 50 on February7. This is the first time ESPN Deportes is carrying the championship game, annually the most watched event on television. The move is a result of CBS’s lack of a Spanish-language cable network of its own, it also highlights the increasing popularity of American Football among Hispanics.
Super Bowl 50 only will be the third NFL title to get the full Spanish-language simulcast treatment. Fox gave the Super Bowl the first full Spanish-language Super Bowl simulcast in February 2014 with a parallel feed on Fox Deportes that averaged 561,000 viewers, while NBC Universal leveraged last winter’s Patriots-Seahawks showdown as a launch vehicle for NBC Universo, (formerly known as mun2.). Per Nielsen, Hispanic football fans in 2014 made up 9% of the overall audience for NFL broadcasts, or about 1.5 million viewers per game. During that same season, the league invested some $230 million in Hispanic TV spend, up nearly $100 million compared to the 2009 campaign.
La Liga Opens Office in the U.S. Led by Raúl
Spanish Soccer League “La Liga” (LFP-Liga de Fútbol Profesional) just opened an office in New York City. The “La Liga” U.S. Country Manager is no less than ex Real Madrid Captain and Soccer legend Raúl González Blanco (“Raúl”). Raúl made his first appearance as La Liga’s country manager during a presentation held in Miami at BeIn Sports studios. BeIn Sports holds the broadcast rights for La Liga in the U.S. The establishment of an LFP New York office is part of LFP’s growth strategy which attempts to brand “La Liga” as the main national soccer league. Other offices are based in Bejing, Dubai and Johannesburg.
Spanish-Sports Site As Introduces As USA
A new arrival to the 2016 U.S. Hispanic sports media scene. Spanish-sports site As, owned and operated by Grupo Prisa, is launching As USA, a U.S. Hispanic edition of the site at https://us.as.com/us/. Read the full story of this Portada exclusive here.
Cristiano Ronaldo invests in his own Hotel Brand
Real Madrid Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo has invested close to US$ 40 million in hotels bearing his CR7 brand. The Portuguese captain has become a shareholder in Portugal’s biggest tourism and leisure group, Pestana, and the deal will see hotels opened in Madeira, Lisbon, Madrid and New York. The first ‘CR7’ hotel will open in his home town of Madeira this summer, according to reports. “My job is to play football, but life won’t always be like this,” Sky Sports reported Ronaldo as saying. “I have to dedicate myself to this new project and I have the best team in the world around me.”
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