ESPN International Acquires Rights to Serie A in Latin America and the Caribbean
Three-year Agreement Includes Multimedia Rights for the 2015/16 to 2017/18 Seasons
ESPN International has reached a broad multimedia rights agreement with FOX Sports Latin America to continue broadcasting Serie A throughout Latin America and select countries and territories across the Caribbean, effective 2015/16 through 2017/18. FOX Sports secured the Lega Calcio rights via agency MP Silva, in a deal announced earlier this month.
Under the agreement, ESPN and FOX Sports will divide the matches equally for Serie A. ESPN will have the right to carry fifty percent of all matches available from Serie A, 190 matches each season, subject to an equitable selection process that includes the first pick/selection every other round), along with weekly highlight shows, a weekly official magazine program of Serie A and certain archive footage.
“This renewal underscores our ongoing commitment to always deliver world-class content to our fans across Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Tim Bunnell, senior vice president of programming, production, marketing and advertising Sales of ESPN International. “We have a long history as a Serie A broadcaster. This competition is one the most prestigious soccer leagues in the world, and we are eager to build on the success we have had over many years in presenting Serie A to our viewers.”
ESPN’s coverage of Serie A will air across a variety of multimedia platforms, including ESPN’s television networks ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+, and ESPNHD. ESPN Play, ESPN’s broadband network, will also offer extensive coverage throughout the tournaments. Additionally, rights will extend across the brand’s regional digital platforms including ESPN.com, ESPNFC.com, ESPN FC app, and ESPN mobile Web.
The next Serie A season begins on August 22 and 23 and promises to be one of the most dynamic. Defending champion Juventus is sure to be in fine form as are a variety of players to watch including: Carlos Tevez (Argentina, Juventus, currently the leading scorer in the league), Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina, Napoli), Rafael Marquez (Mexico, Hellas Verona), Arturo Vidal (Chile, Juventus), Juan Zúñiga (Colombia, Napoli), Fredy Guarín (Colombia, Inter Milan), Rodrigo Palacio (Argentina), Martín Cáceres (Uruguay), and Gary Medel (Chile).
ESPN is the home of all the top European soccer events and other premier soccer championships, across Latin America and the Caribbean. The UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup are part of ESPN’s unmatched roster of live soccer programming available in the region that includes: English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, Portuguese Primeira Liga, Dutch Eredivisie, English FA Cup & Football League Cup, Spanish Copa del Rey, Mexican Liga MX & Copa MX, and Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, among others.