Forward/Rewind: ESPN Deportes

EDITOR’S NOTE: With this multi-week series — the Front Row Forward/Rewind, 2016/2015 — ESPN’s Communications Department takes the pulse of content executives throughout ESPN for their views on what’s ahead across ESPN for 2016 and some of what transpired in 2015. The snapshots provide a look at where ESPN has been, where it’s going and how it plans on getting there.

Vice President, ESPN Deportes Programming & Business Initiatives, Freddy Rolon, says “Happy Birthday!” to the network – which celebrates its 12th year anniversary today – with a look at some of the best moments of 2015 and what’s in the cards for this new year.

What was the best example of your division’s teamwork in 2015?
One of the greatest examples of teamwork this year was the collaborative effort around the Pan American Games Toronto 2015.

The ESPN Deportes and ESPN teams worked non-stop to deliver more than 900 hours of content across platforms and languages, seamlessly connecting our coverage across ESPN and ESPN Deportes. It was a great opportunity for ESPN to produce content that not only served a wide and diverse audience but also showcased some up and coming Olympic athletes from many different countries.

What was the most “social” moment of 2015?
There were many moments that stood out in social media this year, but in terms of a moment it had to be on Nov. 21 when Canelo [Álvarez] beat [Miguel] Cotto in the most anticipated middleweight fight of 2015 while on the same day Spain’s La Liga “El Clasico” soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid took place on the other side of the world. Our fans were super-engaged with both events and our posts that day delivered ESPN Deportes’ highest social media engagement in 2015.

What excites you most about 2016?
What excites me the most is the great slate of events and content we have at ESPN Deportes this year. We are very excited about our recently announced deal with CBS and NFL to carry Super Bowl 50 in Spanish, and the brand new look of our studio programming that debuted this week. We are also looking forward to delivering a wide variety of great sports events including the Balon d’Or Award, the College Football Final, el Serie del Caribe, Copa MX, the Copa del Rey Final, the German Cup, the Europa League, the UEFA Champions League, the NBA and the Finals, Wimbledon, Euro 2016, the Spanish Super Copa, the US Open and much more.