NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) and Univision Deportes announced today the signing of a partnership agreement to broadcast its matches in the United States. The contract was signed by Jeffrey Webb, president of CONCACAF, and Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Univision Deportes, on Univision Network’s leading sports entertainment program “Republica Deportiva” (Sports Republic). The agreement, the largest in CONCACAF’s history, gives Univision Deportes exclusive Spanish and Portuguese U.S. broadcast rights to the Gold Cup (Copa Oro), 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 Jeffrey Webb, president of CONCACAF. “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 Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Univision Deportes. “With this groundbreaking deal, Univision Deportes will deliver the richest soccer rights portfolio in Hispanic sports media.”
The deal gives Univision Deportes all 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.
Producing more than 10,000 hours of live sports across its platforms per year, Univision Deportes’ properties portfolio includes rights to the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the qualifiers in the lead up to the tournament, plus 12 of the 18 teams within the Liga MX and the Chivas team beginning July 2013, the Copa MX, the Mexican National Team, the U.S. Men’s National Team, the German National Team, the DFB Cup, the French National Team, the French Cup, France’s Ligue 1, the Under 23 Mexican National Team, Major League Soccer, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the CONCACAF Champions League, the CONCACAF Men’s Under 17, the CONCACAF Men's Under 20, the CONCACAF Women’s Under 17, the CONCACAF Women's Under 20, the CONCACAF Futsal Championship, the FIFA 2013 Confederations Cup, the FIFA Under 20 World Cups, the FIFA Under 17 World Cups, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the FIFA Futsal World Cup, international friendlies and boxing.
CONCACAF recently announced the creation of a Gold Cup Committee, which will work to elevate the tournament and amplify its reach and brand. The Committee is chaired by President of the United States Soccer Federation, Sunil Gulati.
About Univision Communications Inc.
Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Its assets include Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country reaching 96% of U.S. Hispanic households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network reaching 88% of U.S. Hispanic households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network, as well as Univision tlnovelas, a new 24-hour cable network dedicated to novelas, Univision Deportes Network, a new 24-hour cable network dedicated to sports, ForoTV, a new 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to news, and an additional suite of six cable offerings - De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson, Telehit and Clásico TV; Univision Studios, which produces and co-produces reality shows, dramatic series and other programming formats for the Company’s platforms; Univision Television Group, which owns and/or operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Hispanic radio group which owns and/or operates 69 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Interactive Media, a network of national and local online and mobile sites including Univision.com, which continues to be the #1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics, Univision Móvil, a longstanding industry-leader with unique, relevant mobile products and services, and Univision Partner Group, a specialized advertising and publisher network. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit Univision.net.
About CONCACAF
CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 40 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Surinam and French Guyana in the south.
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