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HISPANIC TV UPFRONT REPORT-2017 EDITION HispanicAd.com/HispanicMarketOverview.com
In the broadcast booth are Orlando Nichols, a former main anchor for now-defunct MundoFox and a former Mexican baseball pro player, and Edgar Gonzalez, a former member of the San Diego Padres who coaches the Mexican National Baseball team.
From Mexico City to U.S. audiences are two main studio shows, Central Fox and debate show La Ultima Palabra. They’ll continue as they do today.
“Having the same shows indicates that what we have indicates that what we have is working,” Sanchez says.
Of course, innovation is essential, and short-form digitally delivered vignettes on “The Art of Winning” – one for boxing, and another that’s soccer-themed for the UEFA final – have been commissioned. The first installment sees Mexican pro boxer Canelo Alvarez gives advice on how to box. In the second, Claudio Suarez, a former captain of Mexican National Team, gives tips on the art of soccer.
SERVING THE SPORTS FAN ... ANYWHERE
All access. It’s something every die-hard sports fan craves. For ESPN Deportes, giving Hispanic sports fans the ability to access the network’s programming, no matter where they may be, has become its calling card.
“We’re looking to serve the fan everywhere,” says John Fitzgerald, the VP/Multicultural Media Sales for ESPN, overseeing ESPN Deportes and ESPN Audio.
Fitzgerald is pleased with the revitalization of the network’s prime-time hours, driven by live events that serve as strong lead-ins to ESPN Deportes’ two core studio programs, Fútbol Picante and SportsCenter.
The calendar year has started off strong for ESPN Deportes, thanks to beisbol.
The Caribbean Series proved successful for the network, while the 2017 World Baseball Classic has
been a tremendous success, seeing 30% growth over 2013, Fitzgerald notes.
Meanwhile, NFL telecasts are up at ESPN Deportes, flying in the face of reports throughout fall 2016 that ratings were sinking year-over-year for the league’s games.
Additionally, Fitzgerald says NBA games aired on ESPN Deportes have enjoyed 17% year-over-year growth. He did not state if this was in a particular demo, or on an overall basis.
There’s also big dividends expected from ESPN’s relationship with Golden Boy Promotions, which gives both ESPN and ESPN Deportes coverage of marquee boxing matchups.