With four FIFA tourneys on tap in 2015, Telemundo and mun2 will devote some 550 hours to the events, including the Women’s World Cup, covering 188 matches.
The competitions will unfold on four continents and mark the first manifestations of the $600 million rights deal Telemundo/mun2 struck with FIFA back in October 2011, when it outbid long-time incumbent Univision for Spanish-language media rights from 2015-2022. Fox spent some $400 million for the English-language rights to the cycle, unseating ESPN.
Specific schedules were not revealed, owing in part to draws. For instance, the groups and matchups for the Women’s World Cup in Canada will not be divulged until Dec. 6. In 2011, Japan (pictured) topped the U.S. on penalties to win the title in Frankfurt, Germany.
Match coverage will be led by commentator Andres Cantor, along with Sammy Sadovnik and former players Carlos Hermosillo and Manuel Sol.
“We are proud to see the first tangible manifestation of this major acquisition, which will bring unprecedented exposure for Telemundo and mun2,” said Joe Uva, chairman of Hispanic enterprises and content at NBCUniversal. “And offer a unique opportunity to accelerate audience growth and consolidate our position in the industry.”
In addition to the WWC, which will play out north of the border among 24 sides -- up from 16 in previous quadrennials -- and 52 matches, Telemundo/mun2 will also showcase beach soccer and a pair of youth soccer tourneys.
Like the WWC, the FIFA under-20 and under-17 events will showcase 24 teams over 52 matches in New Zealand from May 30 through June 20 and Chile from Oct. 17 through Nov. 8, respectively. These are biennial competitions.
Similarly, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup has been played every two years since 2005. After Russia won the most recent competition in Tahiti, the 2015 event – 16, five-player teams will meet over 32 games -- will be staged in Portugal from July 9-19.
