• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Telemundo Deportes Drums Up Digital Series Without Live Games

  • Spanish language network has created two online shows during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Re-airs of archived Premier League matches on Telemundo down 15% since mid-March.
Photo Credit: Telemundo Deportes

Telemundo Deportes’ struggles during the coronavirus pandemic are not unlike those faced by other sports broadcasters in the U.S. 

The Spanish-language channel no longer has a slate of marquee English Premier League games to offer its audience. 

In response, it has launched two short-form digital series during the health crisis – “Quarantine Confessions” and “Ask Me Anything” – featuring in-house talent, influencers, and athletes as a means to entertain fans at home. Segments from the shows will also be played on linear television, Ray Warren, president of Telemundo Deportes, said.

Telemundo’s weekly linear sports programming, traditionally a mix of live sports and in-studio programming, now consists of English Premier League match replays and remote broadcasts of flagship shows like “Titulares Y Mas” on-air five nights a week. The program, focused on both sports and pop-culture news, will feature NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez this month.

“We’re trying to make news where there’s no sports news really,” Warren said. “So we’re amping up our interviews and creating some digital content that is a lot of fun.”

Telemundo’s current sports offerings lean heavily on soccer – buoyed by NBC’s media deal with the EPL and the network’s own agreement with FIFA to televise the men’s and women’s World Cup in the U.S. in Spanish through 2026. Fox holds the English language rights to the FIFA tournaments.

READ MORE: Rangers, MSG Network Finding Ways To Engage Fans And Partners

Telemundo’s viewership of replayed English Premier League matches is down about 15% since mid-March. NBC Universo –  the other Spanish-language cable offering from parent company NBCUniversal – is down 50% over the same period.

Telemundo did not disclose overall ratings on its network.

This summer, Telemundo was set to broadcast the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before the games were postponed. The network was also in negotiations to broadcast the 2020 Copa America tournament and will re-enter conversations with CONMEBOL at a later date. The competition was suspended by CONMEBOL on March 17.

“We think the Copa America, second to the World Cup, is the greatest soccer tournament for the Hispanic community,” Warren said. “We had it in 2019, and we were in conversations in 2020.”

When sports do return, Telemundo will look at other parts of the NBC Sports portfolio with an eye on adding more live programming the company believes may resonate with its Hispanic audience.

READ MORE: Sports Marketers Shift Dollars and Prepare for Compressed Schedules

There will be celebrations around the sports industry when live games return, Warren said. But it may be a muted one if only hundreds of fans show up to stadiums and are separated in the stands.

“I feel better about Copa America being gigantic in June or July of 2021 than what will happen in August of 2020,” he said.

Advertisers that purchased linear and digital assets from Telemundo for sporting events in June through September continue holding on to ad buys to see when games do, in fact, resume, according to the network.

“I think right now is a really tough time for advertisers and for us,” Warren said. “We’re hoping that people [leagues] that have to make decisions get to make them. But I think everyone is saying it has to be a safe and healthy environment”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jun 1, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Sounders FC forward Danny Musovski (19), midfielder Obed Vargas (18) and midfielder Paul Rothrock (14) wear t-shirts to protest FIFA Club World Cup bonus sharing from MLS while participating in pregame warmups against the Minnesota United at Lumen Field.

Seattle Sounders Protest Tiny Share of Club World Cup Prize Money

Players are set to share $1 million of the $1 billion purse.

Terry Bradshaw Calls Steelers Pursuit of Aaron Rodgers ‘a Joke’

The Pro Football Hall of Famer lambastes the courtship of the mercurial star.

Featured Today

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.
May 30, 2025

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
May 25, 2025

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 24, 2025

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.

French Open Scheduling Sparks Backlash Over Women’s Time Slots

Coco Gauff has also said the French Open schedule could be improved.
May 28, 2025

NBA East Finals Delivers Strong TV Ratings, but West Is Struggling

The Pacers and Thunder are both up 3–1 in their conference finals series.
May 30, 2025

Panthers-Oilers Rematch Could Be Big in Canada. Will U.S. Ratings Dip?

Likely viewership declines in the U.S. are countered by robust Canadian audiences.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
Around the Horn
May 23, 2025

Behind the Scenes of Around the Horn’s Final Days

FOS followed Tony Reali at the penultimate taping of the ESPN icon.
Around the Horn - October 26, 2020
May 23, 2025

‘Quirky, Nutty, Bombastic’: 10 ‘Around the Horn’ Faces on Their Top Moments

“A quirky, nutty, bombastic, mostly wrong, sometimes right, crazy sports family.”
May 22, 2025

NBC Eyes MLB Rights, Looks to Own Sunday Nights Year-Round

The league continues to shop media rights being forfeited by ESPN.
May 21, 2025

Paige Bueckers’s WNBA Debut Delivers 121% Ratings Bump on Ion

Friday’s doubleheader averaged 612,000 viewers.