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Telemundo details ad sales, programming plans for 2018 World Cup

With 100 days to go until the kickoff of the 2018 FIFA World Cup from Russia, NBCUniversal Media LLC sports programmer Telemundo Deportes has sold 75% of inventory for the soccer tournament that begins June 14.

Coca-Cola, an official FIFA sponsor; Sprint Corp.; and Volkswagen scored significant schedules, said Lauren Molen, executive vice president, lifestyle and Hispanic Advertising Sales Group at NBCU, at a March 6 luncheon. The soft drink giant has netted the presenting sponsorship position for Telemundo's postgame show, "El Resumen de Partido," for all 64 World Cup matches, as well as logo identification flanking the on-screen game-match clocks. The company's sports drink Powerade will have brand positioning during the tournament via social activations.

Sprint, which will serve as the official halftime sponsor of all games, will also offer its customers an array of dedicated tourney content through an exclusive portal on the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app.

For its part, Volkswagen has driven a presenting sponsorship deal for Telemundo's nightly World Cup recap/preview show that will air nightly on the broadcast network in the 7 p.m. ET hour throughout the tournament. Featuring its new Jetta and Tiguan models, Volkswagen will have a brand presence in all linear telecasts and within the livestream coverage

In an interview after the ad presentation, Molen said there had been an expected lull in the marketplace as sports advertisers were focused on NBCU's presentation of Super Bowl LII and the Winter Olympics from Pyeongchang, South Korea, which produced upward of $500 million and $920 million in national ad sales, respectively. Following the closing of the games Feb. 25, Molen said marketers began ringing her sales team about remaining opportunities within the soccer tournament, setting the stage for what she believes will be new deals in the weeks ahead.

She noted that interest is coming from FIFA sponsors, as well as other advertisers, looking to reach Spanish-speaking and bilingual soccer fans. She said the technology category, in particular, is strong.

Telemundo Deportes President Ray Warren in an interview after the event said the U.S. Spanish-language rights-holder is ahead of its sales goal for its inaugural men's World Cup tournament. Although the company plans more than 500 hours on television on Telemundo (US) and cable network UNIVERSO (US) and another 1,000 hours on digital platforms, Warren said Telemundo is talking about adding programming to accommodate advertiser interest.

On Nov. 29, 2017, two days before the 2018 World Cup draw, Warren said Telemundo Deportes was in "good shape," with more than half of its tournament inventory sold.

Telemundo Enterprises, the Spanish-language media unit of NBCUniversal Media, in 2011 grabbed the rights to the 2018 World Cup and several other FIFA events through the 2022 men's World Cup for $600 million from long-time holder Univision Communications Inc. It subsequently acquired the rights to more FIFA events through the 2026 World Cup.

Molen said the company is also working on new sales opportunities tied to content that Buzzfeed and VICE will produce around the 2018 World Cup.

As part of the 1,000 hours of digital fare, "Somos El Mundial" is a new docu-series produced by Buzzfeed with the NBCU Digital Lab, chronicling the narratives behind the 10 Hispanic World Cup countries as they make their way to Russia through the eyes of key players. Interviews will center on the history of the tourney relevant to the attendant nations and what it means for the players to represent their country at FIFA's famed tourney. The docu-series will run on TelemundoDeportes.com and its YouTube page.

Buzzfeed is also creating short-form fare that will be integrated into linear and digital presentations.

VICE will produce short-form features about the culture and fandom for soccer and the World Cup from nations outside the sphere of the 10 Latino nations that have qualified for the tournament, which will air on Telemundo and the TelemundoDeportes.com.

Telemundo Deportes Executive Vice President Eli Velazquez in an interview said the VICE content will expand the company's programming reach by touching the millennial crowd, and fulfill its mission to provide the broadest coverage of the World Cup.

The game plan, Velazquez said, stems from NBCU's story-telling heritage with the Olympics, focusing not only on Americans, but on athletes with compelling tales from around the globe.