TelevisaUnivision, the US-based Spanish language media giant, has partnered with DAZN, a global sports streaming service, to sublicense matches from this year's FIFA Club World Cup soccer competition. This landmark deal will see 18 matches broadcast across Univision, UniMás, and TUDN in the US.
Under the terms of the agreement between DAZN (the CWC's global rights-holder) and TelevisaUnivision, both parties will jointly produce co-branded studio shows and collaborate on promotional and marketing strategies. TelevisaUnivision is set to "lead efforts to bring the full scope of Spanish-language ad inventory for the tournament to market for advertisers," according to Carlos Loewenstein, president of global sports at TelevisaUnivision. This partnership marks a significant step in establishing a broader relationship between these two entities. Future collaborations are expected to include partnering on rights distribution including DAZN’s sublicensing of key sports content for 2025 and beyond.
Carlos Loewenstein, president of global sports at TelevisaUnivision, said:
“TelevisaUnivision is committed to serving our audience with the best football action. As soccer continues to build significant momentum in the U.S., brands will have a unique opportunity to tap into the passion of this sport, bridging sports and culture together to engage with Hispanic consumers.”
DAZN acquired exclusive global rights after FIFA ended its long search for a Club World Cup matches broadcast deal in December. Reportedly worth around $1 billion, this deal will see all 63 matches from an expanded 32-team field live-streamed globally on DAZN in multiple languages. When announcing this agreement with FIFA, DAZN stated that it included potential sublicensing opportunities to local free-to-air linear broadcast networks.
Overcoming controversy
Before securing this partnership with DAZN and TelevisaUnivison, FIFA faced challenges finding a broadcast partner due to controversy surrounding additional games causing increased workload for clubs and players. This led FIFPRO (the players union) filing formal complaints last year.
However despite these hurdles,the new format of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will see continental governing bodies, excluding the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), receive multiple team slots. Europe’s UEFA, with 12 teams including Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City among others, will have the most representation.
The competition is set to kick off on June 15 and will be played in 12 venues across the US, culminating with the final on July 13. This sublicensing deal represents TelevisaUnivision’s second major rights deal this month after it recently secured exclusive Mexican broadcast rights to the next four Olympic Games. This partnership between DAZN and TelevisaUnivision promises an exciting new era for sports broadcasting and marketing strategies. It also offers a glimpse into future collaborations that could reshape how sports content is distributed globally.
