Streaming platforms are chasing live sports rights to grow their audiences. Increasingly, those audiences are watching in Spanish.
"Sports is the pinnacle of premium content that can really help a streaming service," said Shirin Malkani, co-chair of the sports industry group at law firm Perkins Coie. "If you offer it in Spanish as well as English you may not be doubling your audience but you're certainly growing it by a large percentage. You are reaching an audience I would argue maybe we haven't done a great job getting sports content to.
"When I think about the Latino space in particular ... I think it's an amazing opportunity," said Eli Velazquez, executive vice president of Telemundo Deportes. "Latinos are pretty much the youngest demographic of all groups by about 13 years, and they're early adopters of technology. They like to consume content on streaming platforms."
Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts in the penalty shoot out during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.Streaming made up 30% of total viewership for the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup, compared to 9% in 2018, according to Telemundo Deportes.
"Five years ago it was very difficult for us to put anything on screen, because if you're a soccer fan you know that most soccer happens on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and sometimes Monday. So obviously there's overlap, right?" said Olek Loewenstein, global president of sports at TelevisaUnivision, adding that it was difficult to cater to various audiences and soccer fan bases.