Fox Sports En Espanol Scores Ratings Trifecta with Telecasts of Copa L

Fox Sports En Espanol Scores Ratings Trifecta with Telecasts of Copa Libertadores and Copa De Campeones

    Business Editors/Sports Editors/Soccer Writers/Entertainment
    Editors/Hispanic Editors

    LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2005--

Matches Featuring Mexican Teams Drive Viewership for the Spanish-Language All-Sports Network
    Fox Sports en Espanol's exclusive telecasts of the Copa Libertadores and Copa de Campeones continue to deliver huge ratings for the leading Spanish-language sports network. According to Nielsen Media Research, three games featuring Mexican teams netted Fox Sports en Espanol solid ratings successes on consecutive nights, particularly among the highly coveted and hard to reach 18-49 male demographic.
    "We knew from the start that this year's coverage of Copa Libertadores would deliver in a big way for our advertisers and loyal viewers," said David Sternberg, executive vice president and general manager of Fox Sports en Espanol. "Thanks to amazing performances by the three Mexican teams in the tournament thus far, plus Pumas' run in the Copa de Campeones, we're well on our way to having one of our strongest soccer seasons to date. These ratings successes underscore our commitment to offering the best in live sports programming and provide a great backdrop to our annual upfront presentation to advertisers in New York next week."
    The second-round Copa Libertadores match in which Pachuca of Mexico handed Sporting Cristal of Peru a convincing 2-0 defeat delivered a solid 3.24 coverage area rating among Hispanic men 18-49, and cracked Fox Sports en Espanol's Top 25 programs of all time (among men 18-49) at number 25.
    On the same night, the Copa de Campeones match featuring Saprissa of Costa Rica's defeat of Pumas of Mexico delivered a strong 4.62 coverage area rating among Hispanic men 18-49, good for an overall ranking of 12 on Fox Sports en Espanol's Top 25 programs of all time (Men 18-49). The telecast now occupies 12th and 11th place among the network's Top 25 programs of all time for adults 18-49 and total Hispanic household reach, respectively.
    Sternberg added: "Undoubtedly, soccer runs deep in the veins of the U.S. Hispanic community; and especially for our viewers of Mexican background, futbol is more than a symbol of pride, it is unmistakably a way of life. It's not surprising that we would score huge ratings for these games, which is why we've made it a priority to continue to offer exclusive telecasts of the best Mexican soccer programming available." According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 40 million U.S. Hispanics, representing about 13 percent of the population. Two-thirds are of Mexican descent.
    Completing the trifecta of ratings triumphs for Fox Sports en Espanol over two nights, the May 5 Copa Libertadores match featuring legendary Mexican Club Chivas of Guadalajara and Chile's Cobreloa netted an exceptional 5.15 coverage area rating among men 18-49, as well as a solid 3.78 coverage area rating among adults 18-49. Chivas' 3-1 defeat of Cobreloa now ranks 6th, 8th and 13th among the network's all-time Top 25 programs (against men 18-49, adults 18-49 and total Hispanic households, respectively).

    About Fox Sports en Espanol

    Fox Sports en Espanol is available through affiliated cable systems and through DIRECTV and Dish Network satellite providers. Fox Sports en Espanol is distributed by Fox Cable Networks Group and operated by Fox Pan American Sports LLC, an international sports programming and production entity jointly owned by Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst and News Corporation's (NYSE:NWS) Fox Sports International.
    Fox Sports en Espanol features more than 1,000 hours of live, exclusive sports programming in Spanish each year, including the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and InterLiga soccer tournaments; the Major League Baseball playoffs, All-Star Game and World Series; the Caribbean World Series; and Championship boxing from Mexico and the U.S. The channel reaches more than 7 million cable and satellite households in the U.S. For more information, visit Fox Sports en Espanol online at fse.yahoo.com.

--30--RJ/la*

CONTACT: Fox Sports en Espanol Jennifer Serna, 310-444-8736 Jennifer.Serna@fox.com or H&M Communications Etienne Hernandez-Medina, 310-849-3663 etienne@hm-com.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA CHILE MEXICO INTERNATIONAL LATIN AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION/RADIO CABLE SOURCE: Fox Sports en Espanol

Copyright Business Wire 2005