
With Real Madrid-FC Barcelona, ESPN Preps for Most Ambitious LaLiga Match Coverage Yet The 12th El Cl sico on ESPN platforms is part of long-term deal with Spanish league By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor
Friday, May 9, 2025 - 11:52 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
ESPN will produce its most comprehensive coverage of any LaLiga match on its platforms this upcoming weekend when it broadcasts El Cl sico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. For the first time, the rivalry match will air on ESPN as well as on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
El Cl sico is the gold standard for domestic club soccer rivalries, says Manny de la Fe, VP, production, global event and studio, ESPN. With the arrival of Kylian Mbapp to Real Madrid, the emergence of 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, and the bevy of global soccer stars on either club, the fourth and final match of the season between the clubs represents an inflection point for this generation of stars.
It is easily the most consequential, he continues, with a potential LaLiga title on the line. Four points currently separate first-place Barcelona and second-place Real Madrid.
From left: ESPN Deportes commentators Mauricio Pedroza, Alex Pareja, Moises Llorens, and Rodrigo Faez
Sunday's match, which will broadcast at 10:15 a.m. ET, will be the 12th El Cl sico on ESPN platforms since the company signed an expansive and long-term contract in 2021 to broadcast top-flight Spanish soccer domestically.
According to Leigh Michaud, manager, remote operations, ESPN, the network is partnering with MediaPro on coverage of El Cl sico, including providing an OB van, 33 technical crew members, equipment, a concourse set, and two pitchside desk locations. The match will be a world feed provided by the host broadcaster. The production will deploy 40-plus cameras, including several super-slo-mos, as part of the world feed.
Over 45 years at ESPN, de la Fe says, we have established a 24/7 sports news and information brand/DNA that fans have come to expect when big events happen in sports. The 261st El Cl sico is one example of a marquee event that requires our ambitious commitment across media - from linear and digital studio shows through unmatched event presentation.
ESPN's set for El Cl sico overlooks the Port Vell in Barcelona.
ESPN's goal with coverage of El Cl sico, he adds, is to let the viewer at home experience the event and the spectacle around it and to guide fans towards a better understanding of the stories unfolding before them on their linear or digital device.
Play-by-play announcer Ian Darke and ex-Real Madrid player and soccer analyst Steve McManaman will provide English-language commentary, and Fernando Palomo and Eduardo Biscayart will handle Spanish-language duties.
We have assembled a collection of experts who cover the league, understand the passion and history of this rivalry for our coverage, notes de la Fe. We want the viewer to feel like they are in Montju c, Barcelona.
Featured shows and segments from Barcelona this weekend will air across SportsCenter, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN FC and LaLiga Al D a on YouTube, and other outlets.
In addition, ESPN's social-media team plans to capture and distribute El Cl sico content, including interviews with rivalry legends, across TikTok, Instagram, X and other platforms. ESPN reporters Jordi Blanco and Rodrigo Faez will headline event coverage from Madrid. Soccer writers Sam Mardsen (FC Barcelona), Alex Kirkland (Real Madrid), and Graham Hunter will contribute columns and insider perspectives around El Cl sico.
More from Sports Video Group
23/06/2025
Adventures in Live Cloud Production: Stories From the Trenches with MLB, NHL, NB...
23/06/2025
Finding the edge: How Badger & Combes produces live-streamed coverage of county ...
23/06/2025
Masters of Madness: New football format shakes up the rules of sportainment By Adrian Pennington
Monday, June 16, 2025 - 11:38
Print This Story
The ball i...
23/06/2025
New State-of-the-Art Mountain Media Center Launches in Former Starz Encore Build...
23/06/2025
ESPN Says Goodbye to Seaport Studios, Hello to New State-of-the-Art Production F...
20/06/2025
Feeling Unlimited, Part 1: Athletes Unlimited Softball League Deploys Remote Pro...
20/06/2025
A True Test? Cricket's Growth on the Global Stage and the Role Broadcast Can...
20/06/2025
Sky Sports goes large for the British & Irish Lions Tour with AR graphics, UHD a...
20/06/2025
ESPN's Men's College World Series Finals Coverage Combines Innovation, L...
19/06/2025
SVG Rewind: PGA Tour Introduces Drone AR Smart Tracing, Reflects on Winning Geor...
18/06/2025
Technology focus: Fan expectations drive advances in the in-stadium experience By Jo Ruddock
Tuesday, June 3, 2025 - 08:36
Print This Story
For years, att...
18/06/2025
Making connections: How stadiums are meeting the ever-growing demand for data an...
18/06/2025
SVG Venues & Teams Summit Keynote: RWS Global Powers the Stadium Environment at ...
18/06/2025
SVG Rewind: Behind the Scenes of Producing Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League...
17/06/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Mercury Intermedia's Tom Richardson, Mike Ligon o...
17/06/2025
Total Sports Performance from Relo Metrics, VideoAmp, Offers Next-Level Media, B...
17/06/2025
From Stage to Stream: Producing Live Esports Events in 2025 Leaders from ESL FACEIT Group, Riot Games, and more break down the latest trends By Jason Dachman, ...
17/06/2025
Inside FIFA 2025 Club World Cup Operations With FIFA's Oscar Sanchez, HBS...
17/06/2025
Production ambitions: Over Exposed on making the National League Promotion Final...
17/06/2025
DAZN Brings Global Ambition to U.S. Soil With Production of 2025 FIFA Club World...
17/06/2025
Diversified's Christine Williamson on How UT's New State-of-the-Art Prod...
16/06/2025
Grass Valley 4K Cameras Head to Greece for View Master Events' New Productio...
16/06/2025
Behind The Broadcast Booth, Ep. 3: Golf. My Future. My Game. Founder and CEO Cra...
16/06/2025
The REMI Revolution Is Here: How Remote Production Technology in Esports Pioneer...
16/06/2025
From Super Bowl to Indy 500, New Orleans Artist Frenchy' Captures Energy of...
16/06/2025
NFL Films Enhances Post Studio With Dolby Atmos Audio Forty-three channels of audio enable the facility to migrate to immersive By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Mo...
16/06/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Storj's David Colantuoni on Expanding Cloud-Based...
16/06/2025
Grass Valley 4K Cameras Head to Greece for View Master Events' New OB Truck By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, June 16, 2025 - 2:33 pm
Pri...
13/06/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Backblaze's Gleb Budman Talks Products, Partnerships, and the ...
13/06/2025
SVG Sit-Down: DAZN's Walker Jacobs Calls Streaming the FIFA Club World Cup ...
13/06/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Vecima Networks' Paul Strickland on How Improving QoE...
13/06/2025
Pitch Perspective: Where's Next for Specialty Cameras in Soccer? Leaders from Sky Austria and ACS discuss the possibilities of camera placement pitchside B...
13/06/2025
Premiership Rugby Final 2025: Vintage clash between Bath and Leicester gets full...
13/06/2025
Premiership Rugby Final 2025: TNT Sports gears up for Bath vs Leicester battle w...
13/06/2025
NCAA Men's College World Series: ESPN Adds Two-Point SupraCam, Invests in Ne...
12/06/2025
The 125th U.S. Open: Golf Tournament Stimulates Innovation in Sound Drones are a growing part of the action By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Thursday, June 12, 202...
12/06/2025
Virginia Tech's Evan Ellis on the Continued Growth of the Award-Winning Hoki...
12/06/2025
Bouncing around Wembley: DAZN on its editorial thrust for the National League Pr...
12/06/2025
Intense journey: Bringing the production of the National League Promotion final ...
12/06/2025
The 125th U.S. Open: The Tourney Returns to a Totally Revamped Course as USGA Fo...
12/06/2025
The 125th U.S. Open: NBC Sports Rolls Out Massive Production-Tech Arsenal To Cov...
12/06/2025
The 125th U.S. Open: NBC Sports' Tommy Roy Talks Oakmont Eccentricities, Dro...
11/06/2025
SVG Cloud Production Forum 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY Learn about success stories of production in the cloud, the latest in public vs...
10/06/2025
HBS's Tim Stott on a Host Broadcaster's Role in the Digital Media World By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 - 9:32 am
Prin...
10/06/2025
Piracy poses biggest threat to sports media industry's finances By George Bevir
Friday, June 6, 2025 - 08:01
Print This Story
Illicit streaming is t...
10/06/2025
InfoComm Show 2025: Audio Is Main Attraction at Show Typically All About Install...
10/06/2025
Behind the Creative: How TMRW Sports Took TGL From Concept to One-of-Kind Golf P...
10/06/2025
North Carolina's Ken Cleary on GoHeels Productions Producing Its 1,000th Liv...
10/06/2025
ESPN's Tim Corrigan Reflects on 18 Years at the NBA Finals Front Bench By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 - 1:21 pm
Prin...