Eddie Espinal FOX Deportes
Live sports and live programming is the focus now for FOX after the sales of their entertainment pay TV assets to Disney. “In this, FOX Deportes is a key part in the new FOX corporation and it fits perfectly in the company´s new strategy,” expresses Eddie Espinal, VP Ad Sales, FOX Deportes.
According to Espinal the consolidation of these two companies makes it even more important to be part of a larger media company. “As Upfront negotiations take place, these companies are better prepared to tap into their assets to make sure their channels obtain a fair share. FOX Deportes is in a very solid position, being part of FOX Corporation, that covers some of the best assets in all sports,” he said.
For FOX Deportes programmatic sales are an essential source of income. “Our website, foxdeportes.com, continues to offer numerous options for not only video, but display advertising as well. Together with partners such as Google and Rubicon, we’ve turned our programmatic inventory into a profitable endeavor in the US and countries across Latin America,” highlighted Espinal.
When consulted on the most active client category, Espinal mentioned that the technology sector continues growing as in previous years and that bet sites are going to play a more important role in the next year as they are legalized across the US.
Regarding how they are capitalizing consumption on all the platforms, Espinal said they have a social media following of over 14M, the largest audience among US Hispanic sports networks. “We’re proud to say that our audience is also the most engaged in this category with an average of over 1.1M monthly actions on Facebook over the past year. This reflects our strategy of increasing the global reach of our content and ensuring that our video content not only captivates our audience for a significant amount of time, but encourages them to comment and participate in the conversation.”
Some of the signal´s programming highlights during the Upfront are Super Bowl LIV, World Series & MLB Playoffs, Liga MX (Xolos, Santos and Monterrey), Premier Boxing championship (26 fights a year) and WWE-Smackdown (52 weeks a year).
Espinal made a special mention to the fact that they are starting their first year airing the Super Bowl LIV from Miami. “We’ve become a central destination for Hispanic NFL fans and are proud to feature the best NFL action throughout the regular season and playoffs as the exclusive Spanish-language linear home of Thursday Night Football. Furthermore, during the season we air a weekly edition of our original highlight and analysis show, NFLEROS,” he commented.
