Telemundo scores U.S. Spanish-language rights to Champions League
The three-season UEFA deal starts in 2027-28 and covers the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Super Cup.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Telemundo is adding the Champions League to its soccer lineup, landing U.S. Spanish-language rights to UEFA men’s club competitions for three seasons beginning with 2027-28, the company announced Sunday.
The agreement covers every match in the Champions League, UEFA’s top club tournament, and will put games across NBCUniversal platforms including Peacock, Universo and Telemundo Deportes Ahora, the company’s free ad-supported streaming channel.
The package also includes Spanish-language U.S. rights to the Europa League, Conference League and Super Cup, according to Telemundo. NBCUniversal owns Telemundo and NBC News.
A World Cup ratings rush fuels the move
The deal follows a World Cup run that Telemundo says delivered record audiences for its Spanish-language coverage in the United States.
Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, said the World Cup showed the scale of the U.S. soccer audience rather than creating it. He described top-tier soccer as a global viewing event that can bring together fans across backgrounds, cultures and languages.
Luis Fernández, chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, said the company’s sports strategy is built around live television, with soccer at the center because of its wide appeal.
Fernández pointed to the World Cup and Champions League as the two biggest soccer brands in their categories, with the World Cup representing national teams and the Champions League representing leading clubs.
Telemundo keeps loading up on soccer
The UEFA deal adds to a growing rights portfolio for Telemundo. On Thursday, the company announced a Bundesliga agreement that will include more than 100 matches per season from Germany’s top league.
Telemundo already carries Spanish-language coverage of the Premier League, the Olympics, U.S. men’s and women’s national team matches and Liga MX clubs Guadalajara, FC Juárez and Tigres UANL, according to the company.
The Champions League deal gives Telemundo an annual club tournament stocked with many of the same international stars who drew U.S. viewers during the World Cup.
The numbers behind the bet
Telemundo said its World Cup coverage averaged 6 million viewers through the semifinals, up 147% from the same stage of the 2022 World Cup.
U.S. Soccer said 50 million viewers watched the U.S. team’s round-of-16 match across all broadcasters, calling it the most-watched non-NFL sporting event in the United States this century.
Telemundo said 11.4 million viewers watched Argentina beat England on Telemundo and Peacock, making it the most-watched semifinal in Spanish-language media history. The company said Spain’s win over France drew 9.8 million viewers.
Telemundo says it reaches 96% of U.S. Hispanic television households, though its World Cup audience has extended beyond Spanish-speaking viewers. Variety reported that Telemundo drew more than half the total audience for some matches, including England’s round-of-16 match against Mexico.
Conde said World Cup viewing showed fans are choosing premium soccer coverage for the feel and authenticity of the broadcast, not only by language.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, who also chairs UC3, the body that sells UEFA media rights, said in a statement that the Telemundo agreement reflects the strength of UEFA’s competitions and the enthusiasm of Spanish-speaking fans in the United States.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.