ESPN Announces ESPN Deportes' 2010 World Cup Programming Plans

ESPN Announces ESPN Deportes' 2010 World Cup Programming Plans

Network to televise 40 Live Matches in Portuguese; 24-7 Game-around-the-game news and information coverage in Spanish

NEW YORK, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of ESPN's multilanguage coverage for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa in the U.S., ESPN Deportes, the all-sports Spanish-language network, will provide Portuguese-language telecasts of more than 40 live matches of the World Cup. The telecasts will complement the network's comprehensive Spanish-language news and information coverage of the quadrennial sports event (June 11 - July 11, 2010). ESPN, Inc. owns the rights for all FIFA events in all languages, except Spanish in the U.S. through 2014.

ESPN's English-language coverage presented live and in high definition, will be featured on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com. Univision has the exclusive Spanish-language rights to 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

"There's a thriving Portuguese-speaking community in the U.S. that lives and breathes soccer," said Lino Garcia, general manager, ESPN Deportes. "With Brazil, undoubtedly one of the most followed soccer teams in the world, and Portugal qualifying last week, we are leveraging our multilanguage rights to better serve the passionate Portuguese-speaking fans. We will also continue to provide our core audience the most in-depth news and information coverage that they have come to expect from ESPN Deportes."

This will mark the first time ESPN will televise the World Cup in Portuguese in the U.S. ESPN360.com, the company's broadband network, will also offer coverage of the World Cup matches in Portuguese, in addition to other languages to be announced at a later date. During the group stage, ESPN Deportes will focus on matches featuring Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico and the USA.

In addition to live match coverage in Portuguese, ESPN Deportes will surround the games with its leading news and information franchises, including SportsCenter and Futbol Picante, offering fans the most comprehensive Spanish-language news and information coverage throughout the month-long soccer showcase. ESPN Deportes' news and information shows will have significant presence from South Africa and up to 10 reporters generating content from site. Coverage of the event will include SportsCenter segments, nightly, pre- and post-match shows, with additional studio programming originating from Johannesburg.

   Highlights of planned 2010 World Cup News and Information Shows:    --  SportsCenter (12 -1 p.m.; 4:30-6:00 p.m.; 11-12:00 a.m. and 1-2 a.m.)       three editions daily - a 90-minute news, highlights and analysis       program aired at the conclusion of the last match of the day - and two       live one-hour editions to wrap-up all the news and information of the       day;   --  Jorge Ramos y su banda (1-2:30 p.m.; 3-4 p.m.) ESPN Deportes Radio's       soccer talk-show (simulcast on ESPN Deportes) will originate from       South Africa and feature co-hosts Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra with       live guests, entertaining discussions of the day's sports news and       analysis. The program will be broadcast on ESPN Deportes Radio       (simulcast on ESPN Deportes) each day in-between the early matches and       at the conclusion of the last match of the day( only on ESPN Deportes       Radio);   --  Fuera de Juego (6-6:30 p.m.) will present significant portions of the       live international soccer program from Johannesburg;   --  Sudafrica al dia (6:30-7:00 p.m.) will air during the tournament and       feature hits from site on relevant news surrounding all the action       from South Africa;   --  Juego Cruzado (7 p.m.) the network's program modeled after Around the       Horn will feature the show's daily panelists opining from newspaper       newsrooms in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Mexico;   --  Cronometro (7:30 p.m.) the network's program modeled after Pardon the       Interruption will originate entirely from South Africa featuring       co-hosts Jose Ramon Fernandez and David Faitelson debating the hottest       topics of the day throughout the tournament;   --  Futbol Picante (8-9 p.m.) the network's Mexican soccer news program       will be aired daily and follow Mexico's National Soccer team and their       journey through the World Cup.    World Cup Coverage on ESPN:  

In the United States, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will combine to present high definition coverage of all 64 matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa June 11 - July 11, 2010. Beyond its English-language exclusive coverage in the U.S., ESPN Inc. is a World Cup rights-holder in Brazil (ESPN Brazil) and in the ESPN Star Sports (ESS) territories of India, Pakistan, The Maldives, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Middle East and in the ESPN Star Sports (ESS) territories of India, Pakistan, The Maldives, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Middle East.

ESPN, through the 15 localized editions of SportsCenter, the network's flagship sports news and information brand, also provides the most comprehensive coverage of marquee sports events around the world. Each SportsCenter edition will provide extensive coverage of 2010 FIFA World Cup for fans in their respective markets, including:

   --  U.S. (English)   --  ESPN Deportes in the U.S. (Spanish)   --  ESPN 2 (Dos) serving the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and the       Caribbean (Spanish)   --  ESPN's pan-regional network in Latin America (Spanish)   --  ESPN+ serving the Southern cone of Latin America (Spanish)   --  ESPN Brasil (Portuguese)   --  TSN Canada (English)   --  ESS pan-Asia (English)   --  ESS India (Hindi)   --  ESS Hong Kong (Cantonese)   --  ESS Taiwan (Mandarin)   --  J Sports ESPN (Japanese)   --  ESS Malaysia (Malay)   --  ESPN South Africa, Israel (English)   --  ESPN Australia (English)    About ESPN Deportes:  

ESPN DEPORTES is ESPN's multimedia, Spanish-language sports brand dedicated to providing the widest variety of sports to the U.S. Hispanic sports fan via television, radio, online, print, and wireless. Sports media assets include ESPN Deportes television which offers unparalleled Spanish-language sports programming, featuring more than 1,800 live and/or original hours of sports programming presented annually; ESPN Deportes Radio, the only around-the-clock national Spanish-language sports radio network in the U.S.; ESPNDeportes.com, the #1 Spanish-language sports Web site among Spanish-preferred fans in the U.S.; ESPN Deportes La Revista, the first general sports Spanish-language magazine in the U.S.; and ESPN Deportes Mobile, the brand's emerging business which offers Spanish-language sports content to fans via wireless devices.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: ESPN Deportes

CONTACT: ESPN Media: Santa Brito, Office: +1-212-456-0252, or Cell:
+1-347-803-3980, Santa.brito@espn.com, or Mac Nwulu, Office: +1-860-766-4196,
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Web Site: http://www.espn.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment