It’s been awhile since I sat down and reflected on the work that I’ve been doing recently, which is why I decided to give this website one more taste of it… And, hopefully this time will be permanent! 🙂

The 2018 FIFA World Cup presented an unprecedented challenge for Univision, as for the first time in decades the broadcasting rights to the event went to another network. Understanding fans want to watch the goals, the highlights and the games, we embarked on a mission to provide a comprehensive coverage of the World Cup that was very different for the company.

For me, personally, it was the first time covering an event of such magnitude on site. It was also my first trip to Europe and the first time leading a team during the biggest sporting event on Earth.

While linear TV provided expert analysis and debate compared to no other in the industry, with former and current professional athletes and head coaches along with the renowned Univision Deportes analysts, we at Digital decided to bring the fans closer to the World Cup. While a cliché itself, that phrase was the premise of our digital coverage.

We had two reporters living and breathing every movement the Mexican National Team made, and two more traveling around Russia living the World Cup as fans would.

Our goal was to make every Mexican, Colombian, Peruvian, Argentinean, Panamanian, Costa Rican, Uruguayan and Brazilian feel they were there with us in Russia. We showed them how their compatriots were celebrating the tournament and how they were championing the World Cup as their colors filled up every single street of Russia.

I developed and hosted the first-ever Univision Deportes Digital show broadcasted on Facebook, Periscope and YouTube simultaneously, connecting our audience to our newsrooms in Miami and Mexico, as well as colleagues in Los Angeles, while those of us in Russia brought fans closer to our platforms. It brought great joy to see how engaged fans were and interaction hit an all-time high keeping our YouTube numbers afloat.

What pleased me the most is that our team achieved many different milestones. Some became digital talents, other produced content that reached two countries via Univision and Televisa, and more approached the World Cup as their first ever big non-stop coverage. While there are many areas of improvement, I’m proud of how we were able to put fans on a pedestal and bring them with us to Russia while making sure this unprecedented challenge became a stepping stone for Univision Deportes.