Sports Media Report
In anticipation of the Final Draw to be broadcast on Telemundo and Universo this Friday, December 1 at 9:30 a.m. ET, Telemundo Deportes unveils its coverage plans for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ taking place next June 14 – July 15. As the exclusive Spanish-language home of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Telemundo Deportes will provide extensive multimedia coverage including more than 500 hours of World Cup-related programming across Telemundo Network and its sister cable network Universo, and more than 1,000 hours of original content across Telemundo Deportes’ digital platforms. Telemundo and its cable network Universo will broadcast all 64 games live; 56 airing on Telemundo and eight on Universo. In addition, all the matches will stream live via the Telemundo Deportes’ En Vivo app and TelemundoDeportes.com.
“We have been looking forward to Russia 2018 since 2011 when Telemundo, with the support of NBCUniversal, became the new Spanish-language home of the FIFA World Cup,” said Ray Warren, president of Telemundo Deportes. “As we approach the World Cup Draw this Friday and the World Cup Finals next June, we at Telemundo and NBCUniversal renew our commitment to deliver the highest quality, most consumed, and most talked about FIFA World Cup coverage in the event’s history.”
Telemundo’s historic multimedia coverage plans announced today include:
TELEVISION
Telemundo and Universo will provide more than 500 hours of World Cup-related programming throughout the tournament. Coverage includes 250+ live hours of game coverage including pre and post shows on each matchday and more than 170 hours of programming on Universo. In addition, Telemundo’s regular daily programming will supplement the coverage with more than 100 hours of content during the month-long event, covering all angles of the tournament.
To complement the live action coverage with analysis and the latest news around the event, Telemundo Deportes will launch a one-hour prime time show exclusively dedicated to the World Cup, airing nightly at 7 p.m. ET on Telemundo, throughout the duration of the tournament. The show marks the first time ever a U.S. broadcaster of the World Cup produces a prime time show solely dedicated to the World Cup.
DIGITAL
Telemundo Deportes’ digital platforms will provide more than 1,000 hours of content including a live stream of all Telemundo Deportes’ programming, exclusive short- and long-form content, highlights and more.
All 64 matches, in addition to the pre/post programming, will stream live via the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app and TelemundoDeportes.com available on desktops, tablets, and connected TV’s — including Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
For the first time ever, a full-service virtual reality app will be available for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. The VR app enables fans to enjoy select content from a virtual VIP suite through a super wide angle feed, experiencing the best of both worlds: feeling like being at the stadium, while watching the high-quality TV signal. A wide variety of VR content produced for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ will be available in the VR app: 2D feeds, 180° views, 360° short-form video content and near-live multi-angle clips.
The digital coverage will be supplemented by extensive social media content on YouTube, SnapChat, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms.
PRODUCTION
Telemundo will be covering all angles of the event with production sites across Russia’s most iconic locations. Red Square, Moscow’s historic plaza, will be the home of Telemundo Deportes’ programming, including the production of all the pre, post and halftime shows while Telemundo’s daytime programming will also originate from Moscow. In addition, Telemundo will have support studios at the World Cup International Broadcast Center and unique integrations from Telemundo Center, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises’ new, state-of-the-art headquarters Miami, FL.
With the entire team of play-by-play commentators and expert analysts in Russia throughout the tournament, Telemundo Deportes will produce all 64 matches from Russia with commentators calling the action from the respective venues, for the vast majority of games. In addition, there will be dedicated crews following the teams with special emphasis on the most relevant teams for the Hispanic audience.
Telemundo Deportes’ award-winning team of on-air talent will be led by the internationally renowned commentator Andres Cantor. A 4-time Emmy Award winner, recipient of the Sportscaster of the Year award from the American Sports Broadcasters Association, a Hispanic Heritage Award recipient, and author of “GOOOAL! A Celebration of Soccer.” This will be Cantor’s 10th World Cup and his 8th as a play-by-play announcer. Cantor will be accompanied by a stellar group of talent, including National Emmy Award-nominee, Sammy Sadovnik, Miguel Gurwitz, Ana Jurka, Carlos Hermosillo, Karim Mendiburu, Copan Alvarez, Manuel Sol, among others. The team will also be joined by a group of diverse soccer personalities with an unmatched depth and breadth of expertise around all angles of the game, representing the most relevant countries participating in the World Cup.
