Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

SVG Sit-Down: Fox Deportes' Sergio Verdu Aims To Synergize Technologies With Fox Sports

15/10/2021

SVG Sit-Down: Fox Deportes' Sergio Verdu Aims To Synergize Technologies With Fox Sports Veteran president of production joined the network in March after years at ESPN By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Friday, October 15, 2021 - 2:51 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

The first and longest-running Spanish-language sports network in the U.S. is nearing a milestone.

Next month, Fox Deportes will have been on the air for a quarter of a century, and the network is running as strong as ever. Based in Los Angles, the domestic Spanish-language broadcaster is home to a bevy of major properties: Liga MX (the top-flight soccer league in Mexico), NFL, MLB, Premier Boxing Champions, Major League Soccer, and the WWE.

Fox Deportes' Sergio Verdu: One of my first priorities - and it's happening right now - is to get as close as we can be with Fox Sports, especially in technology.

This year, the network made a key addition to its executive ranks, bringing in Sergio Verdu from ESPN as president of production. A veteran of the industry for more than two decades, Verdu was most recently director, production development and new projects, for ESPN and brings with him loads of broadcast experience at the global level. He played a key role in ESPN's carriage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup for Sub-Saharan Africa and helped craft a global strategy to grow UFC viewership.

Since joining Fox Deportes, Verdu has moved back west; been onsite for the MLB All-Star Game, the MLB at Field of Dreams event, and last weekend's Fury-Wilder III fight; and gained his footing in his new role.

As his new network prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary next month, SVG sat down with Verdu to discuss his acclimating to the role, growing technologically alongside Fox Sports, and what excites him about this new opportunity.

What has it been like to join the team at Fox Deportes?

I'll be honest, it has definitely been a challenge. I had all of this excitement [when I got started], and COVID made it difficult to be together with the team. That was hard for me. There were a lot of Zooms.

I have to say, I was really, happily surprised about the culture at Fox. I report to Mike Davies [SVP, field operations, Fox Sports], and he has been fantastic. He has introduced me to all the key executives at Fox Sports and is helping integrate me. That helps me see how my department fits into the larger, 360-degree view of what's going on when I'm not there in the day-to-day. Now that I'm [in L.A.], it feels the way it should. People stop by your office, and everyone wants to talk to you. That understanding of how Fox operates has been absolutely fantastic. I know so many executives here already, and that tells you a lot.

One of my first priorities - and it's happening right now - is to get as close as we can be with Fox Sports, especially in technology. Fox Deportes is in a different building from Fox Sports, and COVID certainly did not help us when it came to linking technologies. I'm happy to say that today we have a plan in place to upgrade our facilities and be completely in sync with what Fox Sports is doing from a technology perspective.

The open approach that those guys - Mike and [Fox Sports VP, Field Operations and Engineering] Brad Cheney - are giving us and [Fox Deportes Director, Production] Ruben Rocha, who is our guru, is a fantastic thing. We are, right now, so close to everything that they do.

LigaMX is a massive property for you, and I feel like the average sports-media person in the U.S. doesn't get how big Mexican sports can be for the Spanish-language sports viewer in this country. What are the big projects and top priorities for you as you join the family?

LigaMX is the number-one property for us. To your point, I don't think people understand the scope of some of those events in the Hispanic market and how that market consumes TV. We were lucky that one of the teams that we have the rights for, Santos Laguna, got to the final last season. We got 900,000 viewers for the first leg of that. When you share those numbers with people, they don't understand the scope of those ratings. This is a huge event. In the U.S.! There's a market from an advertising point of view and a marketing point of view, and we've working to continue to improve that.

Rights are different in Mexico. In the U.S., the NFL may control the rights to all of their clubs. LigaMX is split up by teams. Every time there are rights on the market, we need to be available to bid for them. When you work with those teams, you become more than a broadcast partner. We become full partners, meaning how can we help each other? How can we help the teams with their marketing campaigns in the U.S.?

It's not just paying for the signal. We have a much deeper relationship with them, and I think that's good for the broadcast. We get more access. For one of our teams, our broadcast booth converts to a mini studio, and, when there aren't matches, we can use that studio to create all kinds of content with a view of the stadium behind us.

Is there anything new in particular that you and your team are working on?

Yes, absolutely. In our productions of LigaMX, we were able to introduce our own version of the Megaladon [mirrorless] camera. We were the first to do it in the soccer world [in the U.S.]. That's something that I am so proud of. We are also using a drone on those games as well.

In terms of our building at 1440 [S. Sepulveda Blvd. in Los Angeles], I'm super happy to share that we are going to be redoing our studios in this fiscal year. The good part of that is, Fox Sports is also working on their studios at Pico, and we are taking advantage of those designs and that technology and applying that to our building. That's a great project of synergy betwe
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/10/15/svg-sit-down-fox-deportes-presi...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

02/04/2026

Nexstar Says Pausing Tegna Merger Creates 'Impossible' Challenges

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/04/2026

FCC Launches Efforts to Strengthen U.S. Drone Ecosystem

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/04/2026

WAPA+ to Launch on Dish, DishLatino, Sling TV and Sling Freestream

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/04/2026

Student Spotlight: Al-Fadl Salem

Student Spotlight: Al-Fadl Salem The Danish singer recently performed for the queen of Denmark. April 1, 2026 By Editorial Staff Image by Junia Morrow Wh...

02/04/2026

Taku Hirano's Career Is Defined by Identity

Taku Hirano's Career Is Defined by Identity Whether he's performing, composing, teaching, or developing instruments, the do-it-all percussionist sees ...

01/04/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Flowstate AI's Sahil Shah on Transforming Video Content with Intelligent AI Agents

As sports media organization continue to seek out new ways to streamline their p...

01/04/2026

SVG GFX Forum 2026: Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

The SVG GFX Forum hit New York City earlier this month for a day packed with sessions focused on the creative strategy and technology behind today's cutting...

01/04/2026

From Buenos Aires to Mexico City, EQUAL Days Bring Latin America Together for Women in Audio

This year, Spotify celebrates the five-year anniversary of EQUAL, our global pro...

01/04/2026

FourFingers announce Tape Splice Pro plug-in

Analogue-style tape splicing in the digital domain In this era of digital recording and multiple layers of Undo, it seems that the fading art of tape splici...

01/04/2026

Zero G introduce Morphology Evolved

Latest release introduces new Orbita Engine Zero G's latest release marks the start of a new series of libraries, as well as introducing an all-new engi...

01/04/2026

Warm Audio introduce the WA-8TRX

Until now, one format has largely been left behind Warm Audio's extensive product range includes modern-day recreations of all manner of sought-after s...

01/04/2026

The Crow Hill Company announce Crystal Pianos

A piano with glass vessels for strings! The Crow Hill Company's recently released Gong Piano offered a refreshing new take on piano libraries, harnessin...

01/04/2026

ESSENCE RS from Aim Audio

Remote Streaming Studio Condenser Aim Audio have just revealed their latest creation, the ESSENCE RS Remote Streaming Studio Condenser, which becomes the wo...

01/04/2026

Call for NFVF funding applications to attend Film Festivals and Markets taking place from 08 - 31 May 2026

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...

01/04/2026

AgileTV powers Liwest's next-generation TV experience with the launch of next IPTV platform in Austria

Bilbao, April 1st, 2026 - AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV technolog...

01/04/2026

Green Hippo Debuts Hands on Hippotizer Media Server Train...

Green Hippo is excited to announce the launch of its new Hippotizer Media Server training courses at Pixel Academy, a purpose built AV learning hub combining ha...

01/04/2026

TAG Video Systems and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Partner...

TAG Video Systems, a global leader in IP-native broadcast monitoring, multiviewing, and quality control, today announced a collaboration with Oracle Cloud Infra...

01/04/2026

Professional Wireless Systems PWS Takes on Intercom and R...

Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a leading provider of wireless audio solutions and RF management, was on site at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, wher...

01/04/2026

AgileTV powers Liwest next generation TV experience with...

AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV technology solutions, has deployed next , the new IPTV platform of the Austrian telco LIWEST, marking the first st...

01/04/2026

LTN and Ateme partner to deliver integrated video process...

LTN, a leader in fully managed IP video transport, and Ateme, a global leader in video compression and delivery solutions, today announced a collaboration integ...

01/04/2026

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations for Creative Pros in Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations for Creative Pros in Adobe Illustrator Deepa Subramaniam April 1, 2026 0 Comments I'm excited to share that...

01/04/2026

Boland Communications Introduces QD4K315HDR10 QD-OLED Series Monitors for Live Production, Film, Post, and Broadcast

Boland Communications Introduces QD4K315HDR10 QD-OLED Series Monitors for Live P...

01/04/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Evertz

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Judge Blocks Order Barring NPR and PBS From Funding

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Nikon to Sell Mark Roberts Motion Control

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Mediagenix Showcases Semantic Intelligence-Powered Title Management, Schedule Optimization, and Personalization at NAB 2026

Mediagenix Showcases Semantic Intelligence-Powered Title Management, Schedule Op...

01/04/2026

FCC Approves WJAX-TV License Transfer to Cox

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Scripps Sports Ink Deal for Ion to Air 2026 Teal Rising Cup

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

UK Group Companies Unveil NAB Show Plans

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Victoria Mont Brings the Multi-Hyphenate Mindset to Career Jam 2026

Victoria Mon t Brings the Multi-Hyphenate Mindset to Career Jam 2026 The Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and producer shared how versatility and self-inves...

01/04/2026

UKTV announces expanded remit for Jonathan Newman and appoints David Swetman as Director of Content Partnerships & Sales

UKTV today announces that Jonathan Newman has formally stepped into the role of ...

01/04/2026

Rite of Spring - Save on Ivory 3 German D and American Concert D

A New Season of Expression: Save 30% On Ivory 3There are moments in music when everything changes-when new ideas break through and redefine what's possible....

01/04/2026

Binghamton University Strengthens StudentRun Productions With Riedel's SimplyLive RiMotion R12

Wuppertal April 1, 2026 Binghamton University Strengthens Student Run Producti...

01/04/2026

A Demon Falls for a Human in 'Long Vacation': Netflix Greenlights New Romance Series from Director of 'Crash Landing on You'

Back to All News A Demon Falls for a Human in Long Vacation: Netflix Greenlight...

01/04/2026

All WWE Is Now Live Only on Netflix in Italy

Back to All News All WWE Is Now Live Only on Netflix in Italy Entertainment 01 April 2026 GlobalItaly Link copied to clipboard ALL WWE IS NOW LIVE ON NET...

01/04/2026

TDF Expands Broadcast Channel Lineup with Harmonic

Harmonic's Media Processing Solutions Maximize Bandwidth Efficiency for Terrestrial Broadcast Delivery SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 1, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...

01/04/2026

RT and Virgin Media Television kick off comprehensive freetoair coverage of the 2026 Women's Six Nations Championship

Rugby fans won't miss a moment of the action this spring, with full Women...

01/04/2026

Bluey as Gaeilge starts on RT KIDSjr on Easter Monday

T Bluey ag teacht go RT ! Beginning on Monday 6 April 2026, Bluey will be available as Gaeilge on RT KIDSjr and RT Player. Children will be able to connect w...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

31/03/2026

MeyerPro Delivers LED Production for Microsoft Ignite 2025

MeyerPro delivered the LED production for the Microsoft Ignite 2025 keynote at Chase Center in San Francisco, using more than 2,700 ROE Visual panels across mul...

31/03/2026

MC-IF Expands Membership to Include Smaller Technology Companies to Drive VVC Adoption

The Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) is expanding membership outreach in 2026...

31/03/2026

ViewLift and MyOutdoorTV Launch Conversational AI Search

ViewLift and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) have announced the launch of ViewLift Conversational AI Search on the MyOutdoorTV platform. The feature enables natural language...

31/03/2026

Atlanta Braves and Gray Media to Simulcast 25 Regular Season Games on Over-the-Air Television

The Atlanta Braves and Gray Media have announced a multi-year agreement to simul...

31/03/2026

Gravity Media to Deliver Broadcast Coverage of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival

Gravity Media has delivered broadcast services for TAB Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill Gardens on March 21 and will now cover The Star Championships at Royal Ran...

31/03/2026

Mileto Tecnologia Selects Synamedia Go for OTT Expansion

Synamedia has announced that Mileto Tecnologia, a Brazilian pay-TV operator, has selected the Synamedia Go platform for its OTT expansion. Mileto is also deploy...

31/03/2026

NAB 2026: KMH Integration to Present AV Casting Philosophy

KMH Integration will attend NAB Show in Las Vegas with a focus on what the company calls AV Casting - an approach built on the idea that professional AV and bro...