MIAMI –June 21, 2016 - NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and Scholas Occurrentes, Pope Francis’ initiative to connect, educate and inspire millennials around the world through Technology, Arts and Sports, announced a partnership to launch a series of innovative projects. These projects include the broadcast and live-stream of the next “Match for Peace” in the U.S., the production of a news special about the organization’s youth outreach efforts, and the development of the first-ever fundraising social-a-thon.
“Pope Francis has developed a unique and forward thinking approach to foster community with digitally minded Millennials,” said Peter E. Blacker, Executive Vice President, Digital Media and Emerging Business, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. “We share the foundations’ goals of connecting through Technology, Arts and look forward to developing meaningful content across all our platforms.”
At the heart of the Telemundo-Scholas Occurrentes partnership is the U.S. broadcast of the next "Match for Peace,” which was announced by Pope Francis alongside soccer stars such as Ronaldinho and Bryan Ruiz earlier this year. The match, whose proceeds are donated to charity, would take place in Rome on October 12, 2016. Scholas was launched to the world together with soccer stars such as Lionel Messi and Gianluiggi Buffon, among others. The first “Match for Peace” was played in September 2014, featuring soccer legends such as Diego Simeone, Javier Zanetti, Gianluigi Buffon, Ivan Zamorano, and Maradona.
“Scholas communicates the hope of young people to make real the culture of encounter for peace” said José María del Corral, Scholas Global Director designated by Pope Francis.
The Telemundo-Scholas Ocurrentes partnership also includes the production of a special news program about Pope Francis and the Scholas Occurrentes’ work for the first quarter of 2017 and the creation of the first-ever Scholas Occurrentes/Telemundo social-a-thon to raise funds for the organization via social media.
Earlier this year, Pope Francis was presented with the “Telemundo Innovation Award” in the context of Hispanicize 2016, the largest annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in journalism, blogging, marketing, entertainment and tech entrepreneurship. The award honors an individual innovator whose work has explored new trends, showcased pioneering spirit and greatly impacted society. Pope Francis was selected for his innovative work with Scholas Occurrentes, connecting technology with arts and sports programs in order to promote social integration, especially in poorer communities.
Contact: Ricardo Gutiérrez ricardo.gutierrez@nbcuni.com
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About NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises:
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises encompasses TELEMUNDO, a Spanish-language television network reaching 94% of Hispanic TV households and featuring original scripted and non-scripted productions, theatrical motion pictures, specials, news and first-class sports events; Telemundo Studios, the leading producer of original Spanish-language primetime content in the U.S.; the Telemundo Station Group, reaching U.S. Hispanic viewers in 210 markets, through its 17 owned stations and 54 broadcast affiliates in the US and Puerto Rico; NBC UNIVERSO, a modern general entertainment cable channel for Latinos, offering a thrilling mix of exclusive premium sports, signature series, blockbuster movies, music, must-see live events and strategic acquisitions, on TV, online and mobile devices; Telemundo International, the second largest distributor of Spanish-language content in the world, reaching more than 120 countries in over 40 languages; and its Digital Media unit, which creates and distributes original content across digital and emerging platforms including mobile devices, apps, www.telemundo.com and www.nbcuniverso.com, and operates Fluency Productions, the company’s multi-format, multi-platform production studio. NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises is a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
