# ESPN to start Spanish-language channel next year



## Mike (Apr 10, 2002)

ESPN to start Spanish-language channel next year

Monday September 23, 2002

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) ESPN will start a 24-hour Spanish-language sports channel next year.

ESPN Deportes will have major league baseball, NBA and European soccer games, plus a Spanish version of ``SportsCenter.''

ESPN has been airing a Spanish-language show Sunday nights.


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## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

Just in time to raise the price of DISH Latino.


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## Gemini365i (Sep 7, 2002)

I don't get it... it's like Spanish is the ONLY other language avail in the U.S., besides ENGLISH.....THIS ISN'T TRUE! So why not have channels in other languages?


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## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

It seems like spanish is the second language and is way ahead of whatever is third.


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## DISHjanitor (Jul 17, 2003)

ESPN's site indicates daily programming on ESPN Deportes starts on October 1st (but not 24 hrs/day yet). Cool! Can't wait for some decent coverage of the champions league.

(So, where is it, DISH network?)


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## James_F (Apr 23, 2002)

I thought they already had this. Or was it just a website?


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

Gemini365i said:


> I don't get it... it's like Spanish is the ONLY other language avail in the U.S., besides ENGLISH.....THIS ISN'T TRUE! So why not have channels in other languages?


It has to do with critical mass. Right now, there are more spanish speaking americals and LEGAL residents in the US than there are african americans. (12% of the population).

I'm not sure what is next (probably Manderin or Vietnamese out west and Italian, Russian, Greek and Polish in the east.), but I can tell you that in comparison, there isn't even a blip on the radar screen.

When you start a Spanish network in the US you have a potential audience of 30-35 million just in the US. And that doesn't include the illegals and marketing the channel to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

See ya
Tony


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## grassvalley (Apr 6, 2003)

I think ESPN Deportes will launch early January. Does anyone know if Dish is looking to carry it?


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## jrbdmb (Sep 5, 2002)

From the fron page of the ESPN Desportes site, looks like launch is January 7th or 8th.

I hope Dish picks this up as part of one of the AT packages ... this new channel may be the only way to watch Champions League soccer, so I hope it is not added to only the Latino packages. What would really be great is an English language SAP a la Gol TV ...


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## grassvalley (Apr 6, 2003)

ESPN 2 carries one UEFA game per matchday on Tuesdays live at 2:30. Of course it won't be on again until the break is over. Deporters will not be in SAP. I would be cool if it was. I emailed Charlie and his (his cronies) response was that they couldn't discuss if it'll be added or not.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

Assuming that "all Spanish speaking people" like soccer is pretty sad, and inaccurate. 

Assuming that people with Spanish ancestors speak Spanish, and that that will continue in a commercially significant way into the future, is likewise inaccurate. After people have been in the US for a few generations (usually two) the vast majority cease to speak their ancestor's native tounge and cease to really care about their ancestor's land's culture, politics or sports.

Find a someone decended from the 1890-20 wave of immigration. Say an Italian-American. According to statistics he has a 95% chance of speaking only English fluently. He also has a 95% chance of NOT being able to tell you the name of Italy's Prime Minister, of NOT being able to correctly place 10 Italian cites on a map of the country, and of NOT being able to name a player on the Italian national soccer team. He speaks English, worries about the political leaders that affect him, and follows "American" sports. The same can be said for any ethnic group, including that many that make up my heritage.

In a generation, the same will be true of our most recent immigrant's children and their children. In 2030, there is just as likely to be an ESPN-Arabic or an ESPN-Danish as there is to be an ESPN-Spanish.


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

Both of my parents are native born Germans. Can I speak German? Nope. I'm still trying to get Spanish in my cranium.

And, Spanish is a major influence in California... and Texas...


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## bills976 (Jun 30, 2002)

Maybe it's just me, but isn't this the reason why SAP exists? If ESPN Deportes is trying to center around Latino sports, then yeah, I can see the reason behind the channel. But it seems to me that a large portion of the programming (MLB, NBA games) on this channel is just duplicated ESPN programming spoken in Spanish. If the only sport they're really adding onto ESPN Deportes is soccer, why not make a soccer channel instead? This just seems like an excuse for them to pull SAP broadcasts and raise prices to program providers. I can see it now... areas that want or need this channel won't be able to afford it (or won't want to pay for it), and those areas with near zero Latino population will be forced to take it on or they'll lose ESPN.


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2003)

It's the Champions League who cares what language its in?I'm getting it no matter what system its on.


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## jrbdmb (Sep 5, 2002)

grassvalley said:


> ESPN 2 carries one UEFA game per matchday on Tuesdays live at 2:30. Of course it won't be on again until the break is over. Deporters will not be in SAP. I would be cool if it was. I emailed Charlie and his (his cronies) response was that they couldn't discuss if it'll be added or not.


Only thing is that there are a *lot* more CL games that ESPN could show but doesn't (I read somewhere the ESPN Desportes would show many of these games), and ESPN may cut back or eliminate coverage once Desportes comes online.


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## DISHjanitor (Jul 17, 2003)

I've read a bit about this new channel lately. Here's what I know:

Soccer: ESPN Deportes will have two games in a row (2:30 live, 4:45 delayed ET) each Champions League round on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then they might have one or two other games on tape-delayed (likely late night, for which a PVR is good). Add to that the fact that ESPND will broadcast a CL highlights show, as well. ESPN2 will still have 1 live game (different than the one on ESPND) per round. Of course we have to wait until the playoffs (which the Europeans have a weird habit of calling "the knockout round") start in the last week of February to really see.

ESPND apparently won't have only soccer like other latino channels. They'll have NBA, MLB, wimbledon, caribbean baseball, other stuff. And sportscenter made in Mexico. I don't really care about any of that other stuff; I just want more choice of champions league matches. It's like the Champions League Matchday Ticket, as compared to NFL Sunday ticket for american football fans.

When Charlie says he can't comment on it, he's likely negotiating. DISH got ESPN HD, which I think required signing up for a bundle with ESPN Deportes included. We'll see. Maybe he'll make it a la carte as well as latino (???).


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## F Sanderson (Dec 17, 2003)

DirecTV Para Todos Channel 426.

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/television/noticias/operadores.html


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

For those that follow the link and don't read Spanish the top of the page says the following:


> Operadores de sistemas de cable y satélite que transmiten ESPN Deportes. Por favor note que esta lista no es final y que se le agregará sistemas diariamente.


"Operators of cable and satellite systems that transmit ESPN Deportes. Please note that this list is not final and that systems will be added daily."

See ya
Tony


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2004)

From what I've heard Direct tv hasn't agreed to carry ESPN Deportes on a full time basis.IT doesn't show up on their on-line program guide.


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## paulh (Mar 17, 2003)

So will the ESPN Spanish language channel only be broadcast in Spanish during select live events, but most of the time in streched out (slow) English?


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2004)

What a moronic thing to say. For you to assume that people with Spanish ancestors DO NOT speak Spanish is equally inaccurate. Myself, among many, many people that I have encountered throughout my life, are about 3rd to 4th generation Spanish-American and I speak, write, read fluently in both English and Spanish. Although what you may say has some accuracy to it, it is not the norm. To assume that we wouldn't care about our heritage and all it encompasses is a very bold statement made by someone that, I am now, like yourself, going to ASSUME doesn't know any better.



SamC said:


> Assuming that "all Spanish speaking people" like soccer is pretty sad, and inaccurate.
> 
> Assuming that people with Spanish ancestors speak Spanish, and that that will continue in a commercially significant way into the future, is likewise inaccurate. After people have been in the US for a few generations (usually two) the vast majority cease to speak their ancestor's native tounge and cease to really care about their ancestor's land's culture, politics or sports.
> 
> ...


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

And here I am trying to get Spanish into my cranium.


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