By: Christopher Harris
Univision Deportes already has made Liga MX one of the most popular soccer leagues on television in the United States, but now the Spanish-language broadcaster is ready to dive head first into European soccer when it launches its coverage of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League group stages next week.
The addition of the rights to the UEFA club competitions as well as the UEFA Nations League signals a shift in focus of Univision Deportes’ soccer coverage strategy. Not only will they have Liga MX, MLS and select Bundesliga games, but they’ll be broadcasting teams such as Barcelona, Liverpool, Real Madrid and other European giants into more households than the clubs have ever experienced before on US television.
On many matchdays, Univision will air live Champions League games across Univision, Univision Deportes, UniMas and Galavision all at the same time, as well as all of the other matches on digital streaming.
On top of all that comes the news that Univision Deportes is ready to introduce a brand-new one-hour show entitled Misión Europa that will cover the best of European soccer including highlights, goals and exclusive stories about players, matches, host cities and fans. The show will air live every Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET on Univision Deportes Network. The talented team of soccer experts embarking on Misión Europa includes Diego Balado, Tony Cherchi, Marc Crosas, Luis Omar Tapia, Bruno Valencia, Lucía Villalón and Ivan Zamorano, among others.
By making a big commitment to broadcasting European soccer games and combining that with a highlights show four days a week, that sends a big message to soccer fans in the United States. As we’ve seen with the growth of the Premier League on English-language television, these type of quality, daily highlight shows go a long way into cultivating and expanding an audience.
Univision’s big entry into the European soccer market could generate a massive leap in the popularity of not only the UEFA Champion League but also the clubs that will benefit from the increased viewership. The addition of the highlights and analysis show is the icing on top.
Source: World Soccer Talk