Facebook has scooped up another set of soccer rights, this time for 32 UEFA Champions League matches in each of the next three seasons in Spanish-speaking Latin America.
The broadcast deal includes each year’s Champions League final and UEFA Super Cup. The matches will be shown for free on Facebook but will also be available on pay TV.
The arrangement includes carriage in Spanish to 34 countries and territories across the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA’s marketing director of UEFA Events SA, said his organization is looking forward to the “highly innovative and accessible” broadcasts.
“This world-renowned competition exemplifies how sports can connect communities, so we look forward to helping fans watch these live matches together and are committed to working closely with our great partners at UEFA to deliver an innovative viewing experience,” said Peter Hutton, Facebook’s head of global live sports programming, in a statement.
SportTechie Takeaway
This deal is most notable for the new demographic it serves. Over the past couple of years, Facebook has secured rights for the English Premier League in Southeast Asia, La Liga in India, and Liga MX in the U.S.—but all of those broadcasts were in English. The social media giant has hosted other sports in Spanish, such as Mexico’s pro baseball and pro basketball leagues, but nothing to this scale or profile. Facebook also reportedly has added Champions League rights in Brazil, though that has not yet been confirmed.