Neulion, Univision Digital Teams Deliver Soccer Content The network looks to digital delivery to strengthen its relationship with fans By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, December 18, 2017 - 11:42 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
It's no surprise that Univision Deportes manages to capitalize on its viewers' love for soccer. But what is surprising is that it will finish 2017 as the top network among all 29 U.S. networks that broadcast live soccer, including 19 of the 20 top-rated club matches broadcast in the U.S., regardless of language. And now the network is looking to leverage digital delivery to build an even stronger relationship with viewers and soccer fans.
Our strategy is based around the home of soccer, and it is a 360-degree concept that offers viewers the opportunity to have the best goals, highlights, and live games through our digital platform, says Juan Pablo Convers, VP, business development, Univision Digital. It doesn't matter where you are or what screen you have. You can enter our ecosystem and take advantage of our content.
Univision Deportes' Juan Pablo Convers: Our strategy [is to offer] viewers the the best goals, highlights, and live games through our digital platform.
Liga MX, the Mexican national league, is at the center of much of the success. But Univision Deportes also has found success with the MLS, Bundesliga (via a sublicensing deal with Fox Deportes), and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. And, next year, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League will be added to the mix.
MVPD authentication is the way to go right now, as any games that are live on TV are available for streaming after authentication, says Convers. There are also a very small percentage of games that don't make it to air, and, to watch those digital-only games, there is no need to authenticate.
Core to the digital efforts is Univision NOW, an app that is powered by Neulion and delivers live streaming as well as VOD content.
Neulion is super important for our digital efforts, notes Convers. Neulion has the infrastructure and the technical support to quickly resolve any issues; there is a virtual war room where we are in constant communication. It's an awesome partnership.
Neulion encodes the live matches and delivers them to fans at the correct bitrates through multiple CDNs and platforms. Explains Chris Wagner, co-founder/EVP, marketplace strategy, Neulion, Our staff within the technical-operations center marks and identifies highlights in the live streams, like goals or yellow cards. That makes it easy to create highlight packages, condense games, and syndicate content.'
Neulion also delivers advertising within the live and VOD content. [The ads] are integrated with Univision's ad platform to make sure they are delivered at the right time and place, adds Wagner.
Advertising revenues are the key driver for the VOD offering, with upwards of 90% of the VOD traffic driven by goals and highlights, according to Convers.
VOD is an important revenue source for us, he adds, as our audience has the opportunity to watch matches on TV and then still want to see the goals and highlights during and after the match.
As for syndication, Univision Deportes delivers content to various websites and social-media platforms. A team of about 25 people (plus an additional 15 freelancers, depending on the time of year) finalizes clipping of content, curation, headlines, other editorial components, and promotions.
Access to the games, players, and coaches for creating original content is our strategy going forward for what to do with social media, Convers adds.
Univision Deportes is also in a unique position with respect to future audience development as the Hispanic population continues to grow.
It's an opportunity to reach people from other countries as they enter the U.S. Hispanic market, Convers explains. Social media is a good way to reach them, and that goes to our value proposition: how can we give the best soccer content to those communities that want to link back to their family and [home] country? Doing it through digital is much more engaging.
Also helping drive social-media engagement, he says, is that Hispanics tend to watch soccer matches as a group. They sit with their friends and family and watch the games together, and, when they see our content on Facebook they will comment.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
Neulion, Univision Digital Teams Deliver Soccer Content The network looks to digital delivery to strengthen its relationship with fans By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
