Impact of Mexican Football on Hispanic TV Ratings

Mexican football league (FLM in Spanish) playoffs are changing the usual lineup on Nielsen's list of top 25 primetime Spanish-language television shows. Five separate matches (three on TeleFutura and two on Azteca America) made the list.

The impact is seasonal. And it doesn't hurt that the final four includes three high-profile clubs with a large fan base on both sides of the border. (América, Chivas, Cruz Azul) The remaining semifinal team is Pachuca, my personal favorite.

Televisa and TV Azteca each have broadcast rights to roughly half the FLM teams. Televisa, in turn, extends the rights for U.S. broadcast to Univision (although those rights are currently in dispute). Univision often opts to air the primetime matches on its sister network TeleFutura, which is a neat bit of counter-programming. Those who want to watch their novelas can do so without interruptions. And those who would never miss an América-Chivas match just turn the dial to TeleFutura. TV Azteca takes a simpler approach of broadcasting the match through its network of affiliates in the U.S. - Azteca America.  

In these playoffs, TV Azteca is the only sure winner because it has broadcast rights for Chivas, Cruz Azul and Pachuca. Televisa owns the América football club. The playoff transmission will provide a boost to a network hit hard by Pappas Telecasting's decision to drop its Azteca America affiliation in several important markets. TeleFutura also benefits although less so. The FLM matches complement TeleFutura's airing of Major League Soccer games. Although it will probably be a while before an MLS game cracks Nielsen's list of top 25 Spanish-language primetime television shows.