Walter Larrosa of TelevisaUnivision: “We Are The Destination For Sports In The U.S. And Mexico”

One of the main challenges for the Global Sports Live Events division at TelevisaUnivision is understanding the target audience. “We have to understand that the U.S. audience is not the same as Mexico’s. That’s why, for example, when we produce an event like the Gold Cup, we bring in many personalities from other countries. On U.S. TV, you’re watched from everywhere—by our entire Latino market. In Mexico, the vast majority are of course Mexican. So, we have to create different types of content. You don’t talk to the Mexican audience the same way you talk to the U.S. audience,” said Walter Larrosa, Head of Global Sports Live Events at TelevisaUnivision, in an interview with PRODU.

Another challenge Larrosa mentioned is that Univision’s audience is a more family-oriented screen, “not so sports-focused.” The same goes for Mexico’s Canal 5. “That’s also part of our challenges when putting together a pre-show or a program like Fútbol Central—understanding who is watching us,” he added.

That’s why they create a lot of “color content that goes beyond strictly sports. Audiences are different. The TUDN audience is not the same as Univision’s. That’s something we’ve learned over the years, which is why we combine sports and entertainment in all our coverage,” he explained.

PRODUCTION HUB IN MEXICO

Larrosa explained that coverage of these sports events is produced primarily in Mexico, with around 150 people involved. “Our Mexico hub has production booths both for live events and studio shows like Línea de Cuatro, Tricolor al Día, Fútbol Central. But it’s not just about the live event—we also feed all the shows surrounding it,” he said.

He shared that for on-site stadium coverage, the crew arrives a day early. “We handle all the camera wiring, power setup, positions—so we’re ready to broadcast on game day. For Mexico and U.S. productions, teams are split between the two regions. For the Gold Cup, we produce on-site coverage at the stadium for Televisa (Mexico). If we’re doing coverage for Univision in the U.S., even though TelevisaUnivision is now one company, when we go on air, we separate those productions, one for each country,” he noted.

He emphasized that the team goes beyond just the show staff. “Obviously, there’s a Technical team, an Editing team, a Programming Assignments team, Promotions, Marketing, Digital, Talent, Executives—at the end of the day, we all work hand in hand. That’s the key to how things turn out on air. We’ve been coordinating with all those departments for months—months of meetings, rehearsals—even full-on rehearsals before the event to make sure the final result is exactly what we want,” he highlighted.

THE DESTINATION FOR SPORTS IN THE U.S. AND MEXICO

Larrosa says the department’s main strength is the team. “TUDN is known for the quality of its productions. The team never stops—because sports never stop. Live events never stop. That’s the secret to TUDN’s success. Events are constant and always have been, and that’s why people come to us. I believe we are the destination for sports in both the U.S. and Mexico,” he said.

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He also mentioned ViX as part of this expansive sports coverage: “It adds to all the other arms that make up TelevisaUnivision. Without a doubt, it has also become the home of sports. Not only is the content and sports offering significant—very large—like the Women’s Euro, the Women’s Copa América, the Club World Cup, and the Gold Cup, but ViX is also the final destination for major content. ViX isn’t just the home of sports—it’s also home to entertainment, news, movies, and series. I think it’s becoming the go-to place where people can find everything in one place.”

He emphasized that ViX and TelevisaUnivision are becoming the main home of “everything related to our women’s soccer. We have a lineup of talents who have specialized in women’s football,” he said.

TECHNOLOGY

Larrosa also highlighted the technology used in this summer’s sports tournament broadcasts. He mentioned that for the FIFA Club World Cup, they debuted a virtual set that “will serve as the home of the Club World Cup throughout our broadcasts in both the U.S. and Mexico. We’ve always been at the forefront in technology, so we use interactive tools where people can vote, participate, send photos, and messages. We use augmented reality and feed live data during all our coverages. Interaction through social media and voting—these are tools we’ve been using and developing for some time in both our Mexico and U.S. broadcasts.”

The virtual set for the FIFA Club World Cup

He said they’ve reached a point where they have many tools and even have an in-house team of developers who worked on the virtual set, which turned out “spectacular.” He mentioned that recently, for the Champions League Final, they also implemented a new studio with special screens.

“I believe that in terms of technology and being creative with the resources we have in-house, this is key and important. While we usually partner with other companies for events, in this case, we looked at what we had in-house and created a special set for the Champions League Final. We also built the Club World Cup set in-house. It gives us the versatility and advantage to, in the same space, create maybe three different shows—because the Club World Cup has a pre-show, a post-show, and a daily show. And all three will coexist in this virtual space,” he said.

TALENT FROM DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES

During TelevisaUnivision’s Verano Futbolero broadcasts, talents from various nationalities have appeared on screen.

As part of its strategic alliance with DAZN, TelevisaUnivision brought together top talent from both networks for coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup. Among TUDN’s standout commentators were Daniel Nohra, Ana Caty Hernández, Marc Crosas, Hugo Salcedo, Manuel Barrera, Tito Villa, and Felipe Sebastián Muñoz.

The exclusive Spanish-language production of the FIFA Club World Cup also included DAZN’s acclaimed soccer experts: Lola del Carril, Irene Molina, Juan Pablo Sorín, Andrés Agulla, José Hernández, Gastón Edul, Miguel Layún, and Sebastián Abreu. Reporters Sofi Martínez, Janny Chiau, Javi Valle, Sergio Quirante, Julio Ibáñez, and Juan Carlos Díaz Murrieta also joined, offering unmatched access from the sidelines throughout the tournament.

Talent from diverse nationalities

For the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, TelevisaUnivision’s coverage was led by TUDN announcers Paco González, Kikin Fonseca, and Oswaldo Sánchez. A star-studded team of international football legends—Marcelo Balboa (USA), Celso Borges (Costa Rica), Carlos Pavón (Honduras), Blas Pérez (Panama), and Carlos “El Pescadito” Ruiz (Guatemala)—joined the production, bringing expert analysis throughout the tournament. In addition, Mafer Alonso brought fans even closer to the action with dynamic field reporting.

“TUDN has always stood out for having talent from different nationalities: Mexicans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Chileans, Argentinians. For the Gold Cup, we added talent from Costa Rica, Panama, the U.S., Guatemala, and Honduras. We’ve always been known first and foremost for the high quality of our broadcasts, supported by the seriousness and responsibility our viewers deserve, with this diverse talent. Different nationalities have always been part of the TUDN team,” said Larrosa.