Telemundo Deportes, the US broadcaster owned by media giant NBCUniversal, has secured domestic Spanish-language rights to games involving the US men’s and women’s national soccer teams as part of a multi-year deal with the US Soccer Federation (US Soccer) governing body.
The deal, running through the men’s FIFA 2026 World Cup in North America, sees Telemundo replace fellow Spanish-language media giant TelevisaUnivision, which held the rights for 15 years, with its last extension with US Soccer running from 2015 to 2022.
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Domestic English-language rights to Team USA soccer matches are held by Turner Sports, the sports subsidiary of media giant Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, under an eight-year deal running from 2023 to 2030 worth a reported $200 million.
The agreement covers more than 20 US men’s and women’s national team matches per year, including friendlies, the SheBelieves Cup knockout competition, and select Concacaf Nations League matches, which the broadcaster will show live across its Telemundo broadcast network, Universo cable channel, and NBCUniversal-owned streaming platform Peacock.
As part of the deal, Telemundo will create ancillary programming, including original content and behind-the-scenes clips, which will be produced by Telemundo Streaming Studios.
The deal also includes coverage of special events and content opportunities leading up to, during, and following the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup.
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By GlobalDataThe new partnership started with the US women’s national team’s friendly match against New Zealand at the Sky Stadium in Wellington yesterday (January 17), which was aired on Peacock, Paramount+, and ESPN+.
Coverage will continue with the women’s second friendly against New Zealand on Friday (January 20) and the US men’s team’s friendlies against Serbia (January 25) and Colombia (January 28). All matches will be streamed live on Peacock and the Telemundo app.
Beau Ferrari, chairman of NBCUniversal Enterprises, said: “Building off the momentum of a historic World Cup 2022, we are proud to partner with the US Soccer Federation and become the new exclusive Spanish-language home of Team USA.
“This US National Teams will be a cornerstone of our portfolio of premier sports franchises, multiplatform live sports offering, and new IP content creation.”
The new set of rights adds to Telemundo’s international soccer portfolio that includes this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the men’s FIFA 2026 World Cup across the US, Canada, and Mexico, the English Premier League, and Liga MX’s Chivas de Guadalajara home matches. It also holds the rights to American football’s NFL Sunday Night Football, and this year’s Super Bowl LVI flagship event.
US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said: “We’re incredibly excited to begin our partnership with Telemundo as we continue to bring the passion of our sport and National Teams to Spanish-speaking audiences.
“It’s a special time for soccer in the United States, and Telemundo’s commitment to double-down and amplify the sports growth through their unparalleled portfolio of platforms serves as an incredible foundation of the partnership.
“With Telemundo as the rights holder of the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Olympic Games, and the Premier League, there will be prominent opportunities to highlight our players and teams to bring unprecedented access to fans during marquee moments.”
Late last year, Telemundo announced its coverage of the FIFA 2022 World Cup match between England and the USA generated 4.6 million viewers, the second-highest television audience for a US group stage tame in Spanish-language history.
