As Hispanic sports fans gear up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off June 12 in Sao Paulo with host Brazil facing Croatia, Spanish-language television networks have already set their sights on capturing viewers with shoulder programming that takes on any possible tie to the biggest soccer tournament on Earth.
For Discovery en Español, that means turning the cameras on the venues themselves and offering an in-depth look at the process undertaken to construct and renovate the stadiums where each of the World Cup matches will be staged.
Construyendo Los Estadios (“Constructing the Stadiums”), to air at 7 p.m. ET on three consecutive Sundays starting May 18, gives viewers an inside look into the complex refurbishment of Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana Stadium; the building of the modern and high-tech Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo; and the costly and ambitious Amazonia Arena being built in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest.
The miniseries includes interviews with engineers, architects and Brazilian officials talking about the race against the clock to complete the stadiums by the time fans were set to cheer on their favorite team.
“We are proud to bring to our viewers a real-time account of this huge undertaking by Brazil, that transformed stadiums that date back to the 1950s -- as is the case with the iconic Maracana -- or built complete infrastructure where there was none," Michela Giorelli, vice president of production and development for Discovery en Español, said. "Our team was there first and from the start, which allowed us to follow these challenging projects as they unfolded, making it possible to put together a program that will captivate and inspire our audience."
In addition to Construyendo Los Estadios, Discovery en Espanol's World Cup-themed shoulder programming will include new seasons of the series Fútbol 360: Jugadas Maestras (Monday at 11 p.m., starting May 12) and Futbologia (Friday at 11 p.m., starting May 30). On Fútbol 360, a group of soccer players, along with a team of biomechanics experts, take part in an interactive study to reconstruct some of the game's most spectacular and surprising plays. Futbología gives Discovery en Espanol's point of view to all things soccer.
