Between May 18 and May 28, ESPN Deportes found itself in the enviable position of being the U.S. Spanish-language broadcast home of the UEFA Europa League finals; Spain’s Copa del Rey final; the German Bundesliga final; and the UEFA Champions League final.
On June 10, the network will launch month-long coverage of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, with 51 matches being held in 10 cities across France.
Before you judge ESPN Deportes as only about soccer, the network has a message for you: UEFA Euro 2016 is Más Que Fútbol, or “more than soccer.”
Ahead of the opening match, ESPN Deportes launched an integrated marketing campaign centered on a 60-second spot featuring scenes of Paris interspersed with exciting soccer plays and emotional fans.
The effort focuses on ESPN Deportes play-by-play coverage and does not mention its other coverage of Europe’s quadrennial football championship: ESPN Deportes will air a 30-minute pregame edition of Fuera de Juego; a halftime show; in-between match programming; and a two-hour TV-only presentation of Jorge Ramos y Su Banda, which is simulcast on ESPN Deportes Radio, immediately following the last match of the day.
ESPN will air 40 matches in English, including the opening and title matches (11 games will air on ESPN2). ESPN Deportes will air 45 matches live and six matches on tape-delay.
The Más Que Fútbol spot is also available in English, ESPN Deportes noted, and promotes the tournament coverage on ESPN.
The opening match, featuring host France vs. Romania, airs June 10 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The final is set for Sunday, July 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
