ESPN Deportes ([i.espiˈen deˈpoɾtes], ESPN Sports) is an American Spanish language digital cable and satellite sports television channel that is owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney–ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the Hearst Corporation (which owns the remaining 20%). The network is aimed primarily at Hispanic population in the United States. The channel broadcasts from studio facilities at ESPN's traditional bases of operations in Los Angeles, Coral Gables, Florida and Bristol, Connecticut, along with their Mexican base in Mexico City.
ESPN Deportes is available on most cable and satellite providers including Comcast, Altice USA, AT&T U-verse, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Dish Network and DirecTV. According to Nielsen, ESPN Deportes is available to at least 5.5 million Hispanic households in the United States through a programming package that includes the channel. Conversely, ESPN does not maintain second audio program audio feeds on any of their English-language channels in the United States (except for ABC's SAP Spanish coverage for the NBA Finals), allowing full exclusivity to ESPN Deportes for the Spanish rights to their properties.
ESPN Deportes launched as an alternate Spanish-language programming feed in July 2001, when ESPN and Major League Baseball began offering Spanish-language telecasts of the Home Run Derby and select Sunday Night Baseball game telecasts. By 2003, this simulcast was expanded to all Sunday Night Baseball and Sunday Night Football game broadcasts, as well as boxing.
ESPN Deportes became a separate 24-hour sports cable channel on January 7, 2004. In 2007, ESPN Deportes began producing a daily English language segment featured during the overnight editions of its American parent network's SportsCenter program, hosted by Michele LaFountain and several other personalities. ESPN Deportes launched a 720p high definition simulcast feed in April 2011, though as many American Spanish-language cable network packages remain with the majority of networks in standard definition, ESPN Deportes maintains their "BottomLine" news ticker in a form designed for 4:3 sets, matching the form seen on ESPN Classic and ESPN on ABC broadcasts. However as of 2016, the BottomLine ticker has since expanded to the 16:9 design used by the other ESPN networks.
On December 7, 2015, the network debuted its new four-studio production facility in Mexico City with the Spanish version of SportsCenter. Jorge Eduardo Sánchez and Carolina Padrón anchored the first SportsCenter from the new studios which also featured well-known Mexican journalist José Ramón Fernández interviewing Mexican football managers Tomás Boy and Miguel Herrera. On January 4, 2016, the network moved all their shows produced in Mexico to the new facilities, including Fútbol Picante, Los Capitanes and Cronómetro.
SportsCenter – Based on the format of the flagship U.S. program, it is an hour-long program featuring the day's scores and highlights from major sporting events, along with commentary, analysis, previews and feature stories. The ESPN Deportes version focuses mostly on culturally relevant sports news and stories, and offers in-depth analysis and highlights aimed at Hispanic viewers.Fútbol Picante – A roundtable discussion program featuring a panel of journalists discussing the day's football headlines and scores. Co-hosted by José Ramón Fernández and former footballers Roberto Gómez Junco and Luis Roberto "Zague" Alves, the program focuses specifically on the Mexican First Division and the Mexico national football team; regular commentators on the program include Ciro Procuna, Héctor Huerta, John Sutcliffe, Hugo Sánchez, Rafael Puente, Felipe Ramos Rizo, Alejandro de la Rosa, Heriberto Murrieta, Ángel García Toraño, Francisco Gabriel de Anda, Jared Borgetti, and David Faitelson.Jorge Ramos y Su Banda – ESPN Deportes Radio's afternoon-drive football talk show, hosted by sport journalists Jorge Ramos and Hernán Pereyra with Dionisio Estrada, José del Valle, Elmer Polanco, Ricardo Mayorga and Jorge Pérez-Navarro live from ESPN Miami studios in Coral Gables, Florida. The show airs simultaneously on ESPN Deportes television and ESPN Deportes radio weekday afternoons.Cronómetro – A news program featuring discussion and debates on Latino sports and sports stars; it is hosted by David Faitelson and José Ramón Fernández, with Eduardo Varela, Ricardo Puig, Alejandro de la Rosa, Pablo Viruega, Alvaro Morales, Jorge Carlos Mercader, and Tony Cherchi serving as contributors. The program is based on the format of Pardon the Interruption.Los Capitanes – An hour-long afternoon sports highlight program, co-hosted by Jose Ramon Fernandez, with Rafael Puente, Hector Huerta and Alejandro de la Rosa; Luis Roberto Alves "Zague", Jared Borgetti, Ángel García Toraño, Roberto Gómez Junco and other analysts serve as contributors and Miroslava Montemayor serves as the female presenter.Nación ESPN – Produced from ESPN's Los Angeles studio, Nación ESPN is the meeting place for sports and entertainment on ESPN Deportes. Many episodes also feature a sit-down interview with a high-profile Hispanic athlete or celebrity. The program is based on the format of SportsNation and is hosted by David Faitelson, Mauricio Pedroza and Pilar Pérez.Fútbol Center – A short-form football-focused program (including coverage of leagues such as Liga MX, La Liga, Bundesliga and the Premier League); airing weekends and Thursdays before UEFA Europa League action. It is hosted mostly by Ricardo Puig; Tony Cherchi, Alejandro de la Rosa, and Antonio Valle also occasionally serve as hosts; analysts include Francisco Gabriel de Anda, Jared Borgetti, Mario Carrillo, Juan Carlos Gabriel de Anda, and various journalists based in the ESPN studios in Bristol. Unlike the majority of the studio shows produced in Mexico, Fútbol Center exclusively airs on ESPN Deportes and does not air in Mexico or Central America.Toque Inicial – The program presents the most relevant news in a relaxed way, with humor and personality that highlight the show's sports news. The show has several segments, showing the humorous side of the news with a touch of sarcasm, parody and irony. The show is generally aimed towards the younger audience. The show is hosted by Juan Pablo Fernández and Paulina García Robles and airs weekday mornings.Béisbol Esta Noche – Formatted similarly to ESPN's Baseball Tonight, it covers baseball news and highlights, along with special guests and interviews; it is hosted by Carolina Guillén, with Candy Maldonado and Fernando Alvarez providing analysis.Golpe a Golpe – A boxing news and analysis program, hosted by boxer Juan Manuel Márquez and Jorge Eduardo Sánchez. The program airs each Saturday.A los Golpes – A weekly live boxing news and analysis program produced in ESPN's Los Angeles studios, hosted by former boxer Julio César Chávez, David Faitelson, and Bernardo Osuna. The program airs each Tuesday.Fuera de Juego – ESPN Deportes' international football program, which focuses primarily on European football (national leagues, national cups and UEFA competitions) and international football (World Cup and World Cup qualifying matches). Regular hosts include Fernando Palomo, Carolina Guillen, Andrés Agulla, Ricardo Ortiz, Richard Méndez, Manu Martín, Barak Fever and ex-footballers José Antonio Noriega and Mario Kempes.NFL Esta Noche – An NFL pre-game show preceding ESPN Deportes' coverage of Monday Night Football, which also features highlights and analysis of the previous Sunday's NFL action and live reports; it is hosted by Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega and Alba Galindo.NFL Live – Produced in ESPN's studios in Mexico City, the show is a NFL studio show based on the format of the English-language version of the show. The show features former NFL Europe players Marco Martos, Mauricio Lopez Chavez, Gustavo Tella and Jaime “Jimmy” Gonzalez along with journalists Miguel Pasquel, Kary Correa and Miroslava Montemayor. The show also regularly has the participation of other ESPN Spanish-language NFL experts including John Sutcliffe, Raul Allegre, Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Ciro Procuna among others. Unlike in Mexico where it airs weekdays throughout the year, the show only airs on weekends during the NFL season on ESPN Deportes.Raza Deportiva – The network's first live morning show, featuring hosts based in different locations; it is hosted by football expert Rafa Ramos, Mauricio Pedroza (both based in Los Angeles); Leo Vega (based in Coral Gables); Oscar Restrepo (based in Colombia); and Elizabeth Patiño (based in Mexico City). The show airs simultaneously on ESPN Deportes television and ESPN Deportes radio weekday mornings.The network has the rights to all the events listed below but some do not air on the network due to scheduling conflicts, instead they are streamed online on ESPN Deportes+.
GermanyDFB-PokalMexicoLiga MX: Chiapas and Necaxa regular season home matchesCopa MX: Group stage, knockout stage and FinalSpainCopa del Rey FinalSupercopa de EspañaUnited StatesMajor League Soccer: Spanish-language simulcasts of ESPN's "Game of the Week" broadcastUEFA2018 FIFA World Cup European QualifiersUEFA Champions League (2014–2018; Final: 2016, 2018)UEFA Super Cup (2015, 2017)UEFA Europa LeagueOtherInternational Champions CupInternational friendliesInternational friendly tournamentsNational Football League (NFL)Monday Night FootballPro BowlOne Wild Card playoff gameCollege FootballACC, Big Ten, Big 12, MAC, Pac-12, SEC, Sun BeltCollege Football Playoff (College Football Championship Game, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl)Bowl gamesMajor League Baseball (MLB)Monday, Wednesday and Sunday Night BaseballHome Run DerbyOne Wild Card game each postseasonOthersWorld Baseball ClassicCaribbean SeriesLittle League World SeriesNational Basketball Association (NBA)Regular season (NBA Sunday Showcase, NBA Wednesday, NBA Friday and NBA Saturday Primetime)NBA playoffsNBA FinalsOtherFIBA Americas ChampionshipGolden Boy PromotionsPremier Boxing Champions (airing under the Noche de Combates brand)Drone Racing LeagueFIFA 17 Ultimate Team Championship SeriesMasters TournamentGLORYBellator MMAJungle Fight ChampionshipIndyCar SeriesIndianapolis 500Summer and Winter GamesAustralian OpenWimbledonUS OpenESPN Deportes Radio launched on October 5, 2005, as the only 24-hour Spanish-language radio network aimed at U.S. Hispanic sports fans. Since its launch, the radio network has grown to include 45 affiliates nationwide, reaching close to 80% of the Hispanic population in the United States. The network is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio, and is streamed on the ESPN Deportes Radio mobile app for iOS and Android devices, and on ESPNDeportesRadio.com.
In addition to broadcasting live sports events, the radio network features various sports news and analysis programs (such as the football analysis program Jorge Ramos y su Banda; sports news program Raza Deportiva; morning drive talk show ESPN al Despertar; and the boxing news program A los Golpes).
ESPN also operates radio networks, stations and programs in Latin America:
ESPN 107.9 FM (Argentina)ESPN Radio en Rivadavia (Argentina)ESPN Radio Fórmula (Mexico)ESPN Radio - Bío-Bío Deportes (Chile)ESPN Radio El Dorado (Brazil)Launched in September 2000, ESPNDeportes.com covers more than 20 different sports with news, statistics, analysis and real-time scores aimed at U.S. and Latin American readers. The website also features video and audio content; fantasy games; live event webcasts; live chats with players, ESPN experts and other sports personalities; enterprise journalism; user-generated content including message boards and "conversations", with fans able to post comments on selected news items and blogs.
ESPN Deportes La Revista is a monthly Spanish-language magazine first published in August 2005, and distributed in conjunction with Grupo GW. ESPN Deportes La Revista offers a mix of original content targeted to the interests of U.S. Hispanics, as well as material from the English-language publication ESPN: The Magazine. The editorial section covers sports such as Major League Baseball, as well as winter baseball from the Dominican Republic, Mexico Puerto Rico and Venezuela; boxing; the NFL; international football; auto racing; and action sports. A digital edition of La Revista is available through Zinio.
ESPN Deportes +, the Spanish-language version of ESPN3, is a multi-platform sports streaming service that is expected to launch in 2014. The service provides comprehensive live sports content in Spanish available for streaming on computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox Live. ESPN Deportes+ offers additional exclusive Spanish-language programming of over 200 sports events, supplementary to the content carried by the ESPN Deportes television network. The service will potentially reach approximately 7.7 million Hispanic households.