U.S. Hispanics who prefer to consume SportsCenter in Spanish on ESPN Deportes can now enjoy the technology and look and feel of English-language SportsCenter telecasts, thanks to the launch of a state-of-the-art facility in Mexico City.
ESPN Deportes christened the new, four-studio production center on Dec. 7 at 11:30 p.m. (ET), following the network's Monday Night Football broadcast. Carolina Padron, Ciro Procuna and Jorge Eduardo Sanchez continue as SportsCenter anchors for ESPN Deportes.
The studio is designed to enhance content presentation for the viewer, increase consumer engagement, and provide a better stage for ESPN Deportes anchors, Rodolfo Martinez, vice president of production for ESPN International and ESPN Deportes, said.
The studio upgrade comes 10 months after one of its primary competitors, Fox Deportes, gave a facelift to its own signature in-studio sports news program, Central Fox.
ESPN’s new Mexico City studio space is the result of growth at ESPN Deportes that led to limit studio space, Martinez said in an interview.
“We built our first studios in Mexico City 12 years ago with the objective of serving ESPN Deportes only," he said. "Then, the network produced two shows. Now, we offer 10 hours of programming each day."
By bringing the presentation and technology of ESPN Deportes's version of SportsCenter in line with ESPN’s, U.S. Hispanic sports fans are receiving the best programming available, regardless of their language preference, Martinez said.
“The product and ESPN Deportes’s different platforms have become crucial for the growth of our brand in the U.S.,” he said. “These upgrades were done in Miami, Los Angeles, and in Bristol, Conn., and, come Jan. 4, all of our programming will be presented with full HD migration.”
A sleeker look and feel for SportsCenter isn't the only upgrade on ESPN Deportes’s Christmas Wish List that has been by The Walt Disney Co.
On Dec. 1, ESPN relaunched its Spanish-language websites across the globe, including ESPNDeportes.com, its primary destination for U.S. Hispanics.
Built on the technology infrastructure and design elements seen on ESPN.com, which received its own overhaul in April of 2015, ESPNDeportes.com is now designed to load faster and boasts improved site navigation.
The new ESPNDeportes.com now automatically adjusts to any screen, regardless of device or platform.
“Bringing a uniformly great experience to sports fans all over the world is central to our mission at ESPN,” ESPN executive vice president of digital and print media John Kosner said.
New Spanish-language editions of the ESPN app will come next spring.
