Univision Deportes signs partnership with CONCACAF

Posted Wednesday, October 31, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

CONCACAF and Univision Deportes have announced the signing of a partnership agreement to broadcast the region's matches in the United States. The contract was signed by Jeffrey Webb, president of CONCACAF, and Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Univision Deportes.

The agreement is the largest in CONCACAF's history and gives Univision exclusive Spanish and Portuguese U.S. broadcast rights to the Gold Cup, the CONCACAF Champions League and several other major tournaments. The matches will air on Univision Deportes platforms, including Univision, TeleFutura, Galavision, Univision Deportes Network, online and on mobile.

"This substantial deal demonstrates the growing interest in the game among American fans and will ensure millions more can enjoy their favorite matches throughout the United States," said Webb. "Our fans in the U.S. have incredible passion and excitement for the sport, and we are pleased to give them more access to watch the games they love. After historic wins at the Olympics by Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.A., and record viewership of the 2011 Gold Cup on Univision, this agreement will allow us to showcase the highest quality of competitions and talent from all of our member nations."

"We have brought the passion and excitement of the CONCACAF games to millions of homes for years and now fans will be able to follow every kick, head bump and goal as their favorite teams move through these exhilarating tournaments," said Rodriguez "With this groundbreaking deal, Univision Deportes will deliver the richest soccer rights portfolio in Hispanic sports media."

Univision Deportes has the U.S., non-radio broadcasting rights in Spanish and Portuguese for the following events: CONCACAF Gold Cup (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021), CONCACAF Champions League (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18. 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-2021, 2021-22), CONCACAF Men's Under 17 & Under 20 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021), CONCACAF Women's Under 17 & Under 20 (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020), and CONCACAF Futsal Championship (2016, 2012).

Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup has become the region's most popular soccer event, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of viewers across the nation. Featuring the best players from the CONCACAF regions, the tournament has grown into a 12-nation championship, with Mexico and the United States holding the most Gold Cup titles. Last year, the final match of the Gold Cup featuring USA and Mexico broke records as the highest-rated primetime sports broadcast ever on Univision across all key demographics - more than 10.8 million viewers tuned in to all or part of the match and 93,420 fans attended, an increase of 31 percent over 2009.

Additionally, last year's tournament was the highest-rated Gold Cup tournament broadcast in Univision's history with approximately 20 million unduplicated viewers tuning in to some or all of the network's 2011 coverage through the semifinal games. Spanish-language viewership of the tournament grew 36 percent between 2009 and 2011.

The Champions League, which runs from July through April every year, is the international club championship for teams from the CONCACAF region. The winner of the Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup. The Champions League title has been won by 27 different clubs, 11 of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Cruz Azul and América, who have won the competition five times each. The Liga MX is, by far, the most successful league, amassing 27 wins in the tournament. Univision was first to air the Champions League tournament when it launched in 2008.