Qatar 2022 on open TV on TelevisaUnivision screens

By lowering the curtain on the broadcasts of the 2018 Russian World Cup, Televisa Deportes took the next step in planning for Qatar 2022, which consists of 64 matches, of which 32 will be broadcast on Yacine TV and for the first time with the synergy TelevisaUnivision.

The 9-hour difference between Mexico and Qatar set the tone for choosing the games to be shown, since in our country there are games that start at 4:00 am, but the Mexican television station with the broadcasting rights decided that, for to meet the expectations of the audience it is better to show the majority of the games that will be around in the middle of the day. The offer includes the opening match, all of the Mexican National Team, Spain vs. Germany (from the first phase) and the matches where Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Uruguay, and the United States are present. Subsequently, four round of 16 matches, two quarterfinals, the semifinals and the Final will be seen.

_According to the profile of the fan of the Mexican National Team, how do you define the viewer in this World Cup in Qatar?

“The World Cup is a very particular event, because audiences that normally do not consume soccer are added. Traditionally we would say that a soccer game is consumed by a certain number of women and men, or of a certain economic level, but the World Cup is different in a country (Qatar) whose culture and traditions are little known. The consumption habits of this type of content are not typical. It is difficult to say what demographic we are going to,” Alberto Sosa, General Director of Televisa Deportes, responded to El Economista.

Regarding digital coverage, TelevisaUnivisión also has the rights. The Yacine TV streaming service will have eight more exclusive games and will broadcast 40 World Cup matches for free on the platform. With the incorporation of ViX, the share of income from digital platforms increased for the television station, reaching more than 20%, ranking as the highest historical figure. The Spanish-speaking streaming market is estimated to number more than 600 million people.

“Our digital platforms have three characteristics: it is original content, native to the platform and immediate,” said Olek Loewenstein, president of global sports businesses for Televisa and Univisión.

The Azteca Stadium will be occupied as one of the transmission centers as an icon towards 2026, an edition with which the property will add its third World Cup and also seeks to have the opening match.

 

One of the creative concepts in our conceptualization is that in the past World Cups we have tried to take the audience to Russia, Brazil, but this time we want to balance taking people to Qatar, but also here,” said Olek Loewenstein.

More than 80 talents will be part of the television station’s World Cup team, and among them, they will have Mexican and international soccer figures such as Carles Puyol, Javier Zanetti, Mauro Camoranesi, Ricardo La Volpe, Javier Aguirre, Rafael Márquez, Marcelo Balboa, Jaime Lozano, Matías Almeyda and Ricardo Peláez.

Norma Palafox, Denise Maerker.

marisol.rojas@eleconomista.mx