HispanicBusiness

NEW YORK, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- At its Upfront '08 presentation, ESPN's Spanish-language multimedia brand, ESPN Deportes, announced impressive distribution gains and presented the advertising community with a host of new ideas and creative content demonstrating the network's commitment to innovative multiplatform programming across its television, radio, online, print and wireless properties. The company's first-ever televised upfront provided a star-studded guest list, as well as home viewers, the opportunity to experience the power of the ESPN Deportes brand first-hand. The Upfront Presentation, themed "ESPN Deportes Reloaded," reinforced the company's multiplatform approach, showcased the television network's distribution growth and innovative programming initiatives and highlighted the network's recent addition to Nielsen's U.S. Hispanic Cable service.

Boxing took center stage at the event held at New York City's exclusive Gotham Hall. Following the Presentation guests were treated to a special, onsite production of Miercoles de Combate (Wednesday Night Boxing) to mark the return of the sport to ESPN Deportes. Junior-welterweight Luis "Charal" Rodriguez (22-1, 13 KO's) took on NABF Light Welterweight Champion, Francisco "The Cat" Figueroa, (18-2, 13 KO's), in a 10-round bout aired tonight on ESPN Deportes and ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET. In addition, Colombian Grammy winner, Jorge Villamizar (former lead singer of Bacilos), made his solo debut tonight performing "Ninguna" from his most anticipated solo album. Other guests included former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres; Mexican actress Lorena Rojas; Chivas race car driver Antonio Perez; NASCAR race car driver Jesus Hernandez; UFC Champion Roger Huerta; Annia Hatch, Olympic Gold Medal winning gymnast; Ana Guevara, Olympic Medal winning sprinter; Puerto Rican boxing veterans Carlos Ortiz and Juan LaPorte; Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers and from team Red Bulls Juan Pablo Angel, Oscar Echeverry, Claudio Reyna, and Dave Van Der Bergh.

Long dedicated to providing the widest variety of sports programming to Hispanic fans in the U.S. through its multi-media properties, ESPN Deportes announced a remarkable increase in distribution over the past year, with the total number of Hispanic households that carry the television network growing to 3.4 million Nielsen Hispanic homes in May 2008. ESPN Deportes is also currently available in digital basic in the top three U.S. Hispanic markets: Los Angeles, New York and Miami.

Thanks to the brand's strong local ratings, ESPN Deportes recently became nationally rated by The Nielsen Company's U.S. Hispanic cable service, known as Nielsen Homevideo Index Hispanic (NHIH) Service, which estimates viewing in 12.1 million U.S. Hispanic households. According to Nielsen's ratings, ESPN Deportes had the five highest-rated sports news and commentary programs on any Spanish-language cable network over the past two weeks (4/28/08 to 5/11/08), as well as fifteen of the top twenty sports news and commentary programs.

"Being rated by Nielsen has been our greatest accomplishment to date and we look forward to showing advertisers the audience that our network can deliver," said Lino Garcia, General Manager of ESPN Deportes. "ESPN Deportes has reloaded and the brand is reaching more Hispanics than ever before through multiple strong platforms and with refreshed programming initiatives."

ESPN Deportes Radio, the only around-the-clock national Spanish-language radio network in the U.S. exemplifies the strength of the ESPN Deportes brand. The company's KWKW affiliate in Los Angeles achieved its highest ratings in the station's history in the latest Arbitron book (May 2008) and cemented its place as the clear Spanish-language AM leader in its market. Expanding its reach, ESPN Deportes Radio recently launched a new affiliate station in Milwaukee and will soon launch an affiliate in Miami, bringing its reach to 43% of the U.S. Hispanic market. ESPN Deportes Radio now has 26 affiliates nationwide including four of the top ten U.S. Hispanic markets: Miami, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Dallas. The radio network is also available nationally on Sirius Satellite Radio.