These are not days of transformational change in the moribund virtual MVPD business. So when the market's second leading contender adds a few soccer-fueled channels to its sports add-on bundle, it ranks as news. 

YouTube TV announced Wednesday that it is packing in the English-language beIN Sports channel, as well as beIn Sports Xtra, to its Sports Plus add-on package, a $10.99-a-month offering that features more than 20 networks, NFL Redzone, Fox College Sports and Fox Soccer Plus already among them. 

beIN Sports' soccer coverage includes access to leagues and tournaments including Ligue 1, SüperLig, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and Coupe de France.

Other sports, including the first women's motor racing championship, the W Series, are also featured in the beIN smorgasbord. (Note: We don't like to indulge media companies who try to make us lead sentences with lowercase letters, but we're too tired to fight it today.)

“beIN Sports is continuing its fan focus by expanding distribution to YouTube TV, allowing fans to connect with ease from coast to coast,” said Antonio Briceño, managing director of beIN Sports North America. "As the official broadcaster in the U.S. and Canada of Ligue 1 and Coupe de France, the launch of beIN Sports and beIN Sports XTRA on YouTube TV comes at an exciting time as subscribers will now be able to witness history in the making with Leo Messi recently joining Paris Saint-Germain.”

In its press release, YouTube touted 3 million users--which is flat with what parent company Alphabet disclosed back in October of last year. 

Yes indeed, growth seems to be coming much more slowly these days for YouTube TV and other OTT-delivered pay TV operators. Like the programming additions, the promotions have been pretty conservative.  

YouTube is currently offering new subscribers a $10-a-month break for the first three months of service, meaning they get YouTube TV and its base offering of more than 85 linear pay TV channels for $54.99 for the first 90 days, before the price shoots up to $64.99.

beIN Sports said it has been launched over-the-air in 10 more markets by HC2 Broadcasting, which is being renamed as Innovate Corp.

The new deal means beIN Sports Xtra is available in 45 markets and beIN Sports Xtra en espanol is in 42 markets.

“beIN Sports Xtra continues to strengthen our connection to our dedicated viewers and today’s announcement is a testament to our goal of making live sports as accessible as ever," said Antonio Briceño, managing director of beIN Sports North America. "Together with our partners at HC2, we continue to expand our footprint by offering free to air broadcast coverage of beIN Sports Xtra and our new Spanish-language offering, beIN Sports Xtra en Español, bringing world-class content to fans at no added cost."

beIN Sports Xtra offers a sampling of beIN Sports’ live converge of events including Ligue 1, Süper Lig, Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana soccer, as well as the W Series women’s motor racing championships.

“As the nation’s largest OTA network, HC2 Broadcasting is thrilled to have the opportunity to expand our partnership with beIN Sports Xtra and deliver unparalleled sports access to new DMAs across the country," said Wayne Barr, CEO of HC2 Holdings. "The number of OTA households in the U.S. continues to grow rapidly, and HC2 Broadcasting remains sharply focused on leveraging our strong platform for providers with compelling content that wish to expand their reach in key markets.”

New over-the-air markets for beIN Sports Xtra are Stockton – Modesto, Albuquerque – Santa Fe, Boston, West Palm Beach – Ft. Pierce, Raleigh – Durham – Fayetteville, Minneapolis – St. Paul, Lubbock, Kansas City, Seattle and Birmingham – Anniston – Tuscaloosa.

beIN Sports Xtra en Español was added in Corpus Christi, New Orleans, Tyler – Longview - Nacogdoches, Tulsa, Boise, St. Louis, Richmond - Petersburg, Mobile, AL – Pensacola, FL, Memphis and Savannah.

La Liga soccer will return to ESPN as the network announced a new long-term deal with Spain’s La Liga soccer league. 

The eight-year deal calls for all 380 La Liga league matches per season to air across ESPN, ESPN Plus, ABC and ESPN Deportes in both English and Spanish beginning in August, according to network officials. The games currently air on beIN Sports. 

La Liga content is no stranger to ESPN: ESPN Deportes aired La Liga games as late as 2012.

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a conference call Friday to announce the deal that the agreement helps solidify streaming service ESPN Plus’ appeal to soccer fans. Along with streaming all 380 La Liga league games, ESPN Plus also offers soccer action from such leagues as Major League Soccer, German Bundesliga, Copa del Rey, and English Football League.  

Read Also: Disney in 'Conversations' About NFL Sunday Ticket

The service will also feature shoulder La Liga programming -- including magazine shows, weekly and season previews and highlight specials -- in both English and Spanish. 

“La Liga is one of the best and most popular sports leagues in the world,” Pitaro said. “We’ve been very focused on growing our Spanish language content offerings … and La Liga will play a big part in that going forward.” 

ESPN EVP of programming and original content Burke Magnus added that the network will continue to look to acquire national and international soccer content going forward. “We’re always on the hunt for premium content that adds vale, so we’ll take them as they come,” he said. “For today, we couldn’t be more excited to get perhaps the best league in the world for the next eight years.” 

Qatar-based sports broadcaster beIN Media Group has won a victory at the WTO in its efforts to protect transmissions of major soccer league action.

The World Trade Organization has concluded that Saudi Arabia has been "directly or indirectly...preventing beIN from obtaining Saudi legal counsel to enforce its IP rights through civil enforcement procedures before Saudi courts and tribunals."

That came in a report following a year-and-a-half of study of the allegations leveled by beIN, including declarations in support of the allegations by Premier League, FIFA, UEFA, LaLiga, Bundesliga and others.

Related: BeIN Launches Website Targeting Saudi Arabia Net

“Today’s WTO ruling is a historic vindication of intellectual property rights. The decision is founded on rules that 164 nations have agreed to apply," said Stephen Nathan QC, Blackstone Chambers, counsel for beIN Media Group. "The WTO has established that, since 2017, the Saudi government has played a central role in enabling and promoting beoutQ’s theft of world sport and entertainment – the most widespread and damaging piracy operations that the world has ever seen. Saudi Arabia’s breach of international law is clearly established; the damage to the Premier League, other rights-holders and broadcasters has been colossal and it has been brought about by Saudi Arabia’s promotion and support for the beoutQ piracy, coupled with its abstention from taking any meaningful steps to stamp it out as the WTO panel has held.”

BeIN has argued that Saudi Arabia-based network beoutQ "consistently steals content from both international leagues and networks for illegal broadcasts."

BeIN says that since the network's launch in 2017, beoutQ has illegally broadcast billions of dollars worth of entertainment content. The site was launched following the WTO's agreement to consider Qatar's claim that Saudi Arabia has failed to provide "adequate protection" for intellectual property rights, particularly those of Qatari-based entities like beIN.

Then there are the IPTV apps, which beoutQ set-tops use to stream pirated movies and TV shows, says beIN.

Saudi Arabia has countered that it regretted Qatar's request to WTO and that it "diligently protects the legitimate rights of all IP owners properly registered in Saudi Arabia." It also said that given the severing of diplomatic ties, WTO dispute resolution is impossible given the need to protect its security interests.

"[We agree] with the WTO panel’s recommendations and demands that KSA takes the necessary steps in order that it conforms to its obligations under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement with immediate effect in order to protect legitimate media rights partners, such as BeIN, and also football itself," said FIFA in a statement. "The WTO panel’s recommendations are clear and piracy of football matches is an illegal activity and will not be tolerated on any level."

The FCC has denied part and dismissed part of beIN Sports's program carriage complaint against Comcast.

It was the third complaint filed by the programmer. The FCC Media Bureau, in an order released late Tuesday (July 2), concluded that beIN failed to make a case for discrimination against beIN en Español (beIN-E) because the FCC concluded that it was not similarly situated with Comcast's Universo channel (that was the dismissed part). 

It also concluded that while beIN Sports did establish a prima facie (on its face) case for discrimination against beIN, which was similarly situated to NBC Sports Networks and was treated differently, that was not done on the basis of affiliation or non-affiliation, so there was no violation of the Comcast-NBCU deal conditions. As a result, that complaint was dismissed.

Related: beIN Sports Renews TV Ratings Deal With Nielsen

The FCC prohibited the combined Comcast NBCU from discriminating against competitors in favor of its own, affiliated and similarly situated, programming.

The beIN-E complaint was dismissed with prejudice, which means it can't be refiled.

In December 2018, the FCC had denied a third, add-on complaint filed by beIN Sports following that December filing. BeIN Sports has been off Comcast's Xfinity cable systems since July 31, 2018, over a fee dispute. AT&T and Verizon also dropped the channels over fee disputes.

“Our practices and decisions with respect to beIN’s programming are justified by clear data and marketplace facts," Comcast said about dropping the programming, describing the complaint as "just another attempt by beIN to use the regulatory process improperly to try to extract non-market carriage terms from Comcast."

Back in March 2018, beIN Sports filed its initial complaint, saying the cable operator had violated both the program carriage rules and a nondiscrimination condition in the NBCU purchase agreement, violations it said had occurred before the Jan. 20, 2018, expiration of that deal condition.

BeIN was looking at the bright side and mulling its options following the Media Bureau decision.

“We are pleased that the Media Bureau Order recognizes that beIN Sports is similarly situated to NBC Sports and Comcast’s differential treatment of beIN has the effect of unreasonably restraining beIN from competing fairly," it said. "Nonetheless, we are disappointed with the overall outcome of the Media Bureau’s order. In deciding the case in this manner, the Media Bureau erroneously took it upon itself to decide the merits based on Comcast’s raw assertions without testing the evidence in an adversarial proceeding, as is typical in these cases. In our continuing effort to place fans first, beIN Sports USA will review options concerning this Order and take appropriate steps to deliver our programming to the widest possible audience.”

AT&T’s DirecTV and DirecTV Now services have dropped beIN Sports from their channel lineups in a dispute over pricing and packaging.

The blackout follows a similar move made by Comcast at the beginning of August. Verizon's Fios also dropped beIN channels this month.

“Despite beIN Sports USA’s offer to extend its contract with AT&T-DirecTV and DirecTV Now, they chose to abruptly cease negotiations and drop the beIN SPORTS channels from their lineup. beIN Sports remains committed 24-7 to re-establishing access to our service in an effort to move our channels to lower priced packages that ultimately save viewers money,” said Antonio Briceño, beIN Sports’ deputy managing director for the U.S. and Canada.

“AT&T-DirecTV and DirecTV Now, conversely, seek to keep beIN in higher more expensive tiers and have shown no intention of providing fans continued access to our world-class sports content, headlined by the 2018/2019 La Liga season that millions of fans look forward to every week, and is widely considered to be the top soccer league in the world. beIN Sports remains committed to serving its loyal fans and will continue its industry fight to achieve carriage in lower priced tiers,” said Briceño. ”beIN Sports continues to create and deliver some of the most compelling and exciting sports content in the industry, and we strive for that content to reach as large an audience as possible, without making our fans pay more for it.”

The programmer has set up a website for viewers who want to continue the network at www.keepbeINonDirecTV.com.

AT&T cited the high cost of sports content and said its subscribers will still be able to see top-level soccer and other matches despite the dispute.

"It's unfortunate that we could not agree to terms to extend beIN Sports and beIN Sports en Español. As the cost of televised sports continues to soar, we strive to deliver the content our customers want at a value they can also support," AT&T said. "There are now fewer leagues, popular matches and premier events on beIN channels than before. We continue to offer the world’s top soccer action including English Premier League, Serie A, Liga MX, Bundesliga, MLS and still other competition on approximately 20 different ESPN, NBC Sports, Fox Sports and Univision channels, as well as independent programmers like GolTV, TyC and Eleven Sports." 

fuboTV subscribers, many of whom get the service to see live sports matches such as the Honduras vs. United States FIFA World Cup qualifying game Tuesday night, were on social media complaining that they could not login to watch the match, which was televised by beIN Sports and NBCUniverso.

READ MORE: 'El Clásico’ draws more than 62K concurrent U.S. views on fuboTV

The service, which is actively going after subscribers now with discounts from the normal $34.99 monthly base package of channels, was busy during the match responding to customers on Twitter, apologizing for the inconvenience, saying it was working hard to fix the problem and offering a work-around to login to the beIN Sports app using fuboTV credentials.

Hey all! As tech are working on a fix, please use your fubo cred to log into the beINConnect app to watch it. How > https://t.co/G9Q1Pgi2D6

— fuboTV (@fuboTV) September 5, 2017

Some fans were frustrated despite (or partly in response to) the social media response.

hey Andy, we're the ones keeping in touch with you, techs are the ones working on a fix. No tweeting doesn't mean a faster fix, sadly.

— fuboTV (@fuboTV) September 5, 2017

As the match reached a dramatic conclusion -- U.S. forward Bobby Wood scored in the 85th minute to obtain a 1-1 draw that maintains hope of coach Bruce Arena's team qualifying for the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia next year -- fuboTV was able to report good news.

Don't wanna jinx it, but everything seems to be working well again. Refresh/reload streams to see effect. Please let us know.

— fuboTV (@fuboTV) September 5, 2017

At one point fuboTV said the glitch was affecting customers on a random basis.

Hey Xadier,

Our tech team is looking in this login issue as we speak. It's affecting fans at random, hoping for a 100% solution soon.

— fuboTV (@fuboTV) September 6, 2017

This writer attempted to login using the fuboTV app on Roku and could not access the programming menu until after the U.S. match was ended. We will update this story if more information is reported from fuboTV.

READ MORE: Sports Streaming Picks up the Pace

PlayStation Vue confirmed that it has dropped beIN Sports and beIN Sports en Español, as another virtual MVPD, fuboTV, wants to turn that programming decision into an opportunity.

Streaming Observer reported on the decision Wednesday, citing a message from PS Vue to subscribers that it would no longer carry those networks as of Thursday, June 8.

“Despite our best efforts, we were unable to come to an agreement on terms with the network,” a PS Vue official said in an emailed statement. beIN Sports has also been asked for comment. 

Update: beIN Sports issued this statement:

"For soccer fans and passionate viewers of the quality programming on beIN SPORTS, we regret to inform you we’ve reached an impasse involving our contract with Playstation Vue. Sony has refused to renew the contract with our channel and chosen to remove us from their PSVUE service. Because of this unilateral decision, our loyal subscribers like you will be deprived of access to beIN as of today. We made every possible effort to reach a deal with Sony since we believe the top sports leagues, games, insights and analysis should be made available to the largest possible audience of fans.  Regrettably, Sony has decided that our value proposition is not enough for their viewers."

beIN Sports is also encouraging PS Vue subs to call the OTT service and ask for the return of its channels.

PS Vue’s decision to drop beIN Sports follows another one last November to drop Viacom channels, including Comedy Central, Spike and MTV, while adding others, including BBC America, NBA TV and Vice.

RELATED: PlayStation Vue Dropping Viacom Channels

The decision also reduces the number of virtual MVPDs that distribute beIN Sports.

Sling TV, Dish Network’s OTT TV service, offers beIN Sports to customers on its Sling Orange and Sling Blue packages that also take its Sports Extra package, which runs an additional $5 per month.

Meanwhile, fuboTV, the sports-oriented vMVPD, has stepped into the breach with a limited-time offer of a 40% discount on fuboTV Premier, a package that includes beIN Sports, beIN Sports en Español, and access to beIN Sports Connect, for two months. fuboTV said it will run the promo through June 23, 2017.

FuboTV’s current regular price for the Premier package is $34.99 per month.

Other virtual MVPDs such as DirecTV Now, Hulu and YouTube TV currently do not offer beIN Sports.

beIN Sports, heading into its first college football season carrying Conference USA games starting Saturday, Sept. 3, said former football stars Donovan McNabb, O.J. McDuffie and Ki-Jana Carter have joined for in-studio commentary. Jeremy St. Louis will host a 30-minute pregame show, halftime show and postgame show with the former players. Matt Martucci and Brett Romberg will handle in-game calls and former Dalas Cowboys cheerleader Jordan Daigle will report from the sidelines. 

beIN Sports, known more for soccer and international events, picked up Conference USA TV rights in May, sharing them with CBS Sports, American Sports Network and ESPN. Schools in the NCAA Division I conference are: Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, UTSA and WKU.

Pictured, left to right: McDuffie, McNabb, St. Louis and Carter. Photo via beIN Sports.

In 2012, beIN Sports exploded onto the global stage as a major player in the soccer world.

In the U.S., a Spanish-language channel and English-language channel were simultaneously launched, giving viewers even more access to top-flight fútbol from the world’s top clubs.

beIN Sports is now set to take a broader approach to attracting viewers to its English-language American feed. In contrast, the Miami-based media company is reaffirming its soccer focus on beIN Sports en Español while expanding a signature studio show to five nights a week.

At an upfront event held May 16 in New York, beIN Media Group Deputy CEO Yousef Al Obaidly said that the English-language beIN Sports network would add coverage of Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) events, making the network its official TV channel for all tournaments played from 2017 to 2021.

Also, beIN Sports has launched coverage of North American Soccer League (NASL) games on its English-language feed as part of a previously announced long-term broadcast agreement. The NASL is widely considered to be the equivalent of a second-division U.S. men’s professional soccer league, below Major League Soccer (MLS). NASL teams include Miami FC, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Puerto Rico FC and the New York Cosmos, among other clubs in the U.S. and Canada.

beIN Sports has also locked up the exclusive broadcast rights to the MotoAmerica professional motorcycle racing series. Coverage will be paired with pre-existing motorcycle racing shows WorldSBK and MotoGP.

Also being added to the slate on beIN Sports’s English-language channel is mixed martial arts programming.

beIN Sports also said at the upfront that it would begin airing college football and college basketball games on its English-language channel. After the upfront, the network announced that it had reached a multiyear TV pact with the college conference Conference USA.

“This year, we are expanding our multiplatform offerings and rethinking our English programming strategy to more fervently reflect our commitment to North American sports fans,” Al Obaidly said.

Unlike the English-language service, the Spanish U.S. service of beIN Sports will stick with its soccer-centric focus. The channel has proven widely popular with fans of Spain’s first-division soccer league, La Liga; Italy’s top soccer division, Serie A; and France’s first-tier soccer league, Ligue 1. In markets such as Miami, which boasts a large population of Latinos from across the Americas and from Spain, the channel can be seen on TVs in restaurants, bars and lounges throughout the city.

Added to the mix are CONMEBOL and CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers, featuring the men’s national soccer clubs in competition for entry and positioning for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, set for June 14-July 18, 2018 in Russia.

In fact, the lone “enhancement” to beIN Sports’s Spanish-language lineup is an expansion of its soccer-focused studio show, The Locker Room, from two nights five nights per week.

beIN Sports will add mixed martial arts fights and college basketball and football games as part of several new sports content acquisitions announced during then network’s upfront presentation Monday.

beIN Sports, which offers sports-themed English and Spanish language networks, has become the official broadcaster of the Women’s Tennis Association as part of a deal with the WTA that runs through 2021, said network officials. The network has also signed multi-year deals with motorcycle racing series MotoAmerica and the North America Soccer League.

In addition, the network will add MMA as well as college football an college basketball events to its English-language channel.

The new deals will complement its soccer coverage which incudes multi-year deals with CONMEBOL and CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers, LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1.

“beIN Sports remains steadfast in reaching passionate sports fans and prioritizes delivering top, original live content in their language of choice,” said Yousef Al Obaidly, Deputy CEO beIN Media Group in a statement. “This year, we are expanding our multiplatform offerings and rethinking our English programming strategy to more fervently reflect our commitment to North American sports fans.”

On May 16, media buyers, planners and multicultural advertising executives will once again spend three days shuttling around Midtown Manhattan to enjoy free drinks, savory hors d’oeuvres and a largely positive presentation on why 2016-17 will be vitally important for their clients to engage with broadcast and cable television viewers.

Upfront Week is still vitally important. Television — particularly Hispanic television — remains a key conduit for reaching current and potential consumers, Clorox chief marketing officer Eric Reynolds said at last month’s Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies conference in Miami Beach, Fla. These comments were echoed by the agency heads and broadcast media executives in attendance, who acknowledged the rise of digital and social media but also stressed multicultural marketers cannot ignore Hispanic television.

But the biggest headline this year may be what Upfront Week attendees won’t.

Gone are separate upfront presentations from ESPN Deportes and Telemundo. Those networks will now be featured in presentations from big sibling ESPN and parent NBCUniversal, respectively. Univision is still doing a standalone upfront presentation.

Discovery U.S. Hispanic networks had not publicly announced its upfront plans at deadline for this article. Additionally, beIN SPORTS has not released details on its May 16 upfront presentation, which will include discussion of its Spanish-language networks serving U.S. Hispanics.

Here’s a brief run-down on what advertisers can expect starting May 16 in New York:

MONDAY, MAY 16
Morning
(Time TBA)
beIN SPORTS

6:30 p.m. TELEMUNDO
Hammerstein Ballroom, The Manhattan Center
Jennifer Lopez, currently serving as executive producer and co-star of the NBC crime drama Shades of Blue, will treat Upfront attendees with a private concert. According to the network, Lopez’s performance will mark the first of several collaborations by the entertainer in upcoming Telemundo projects to be announced. NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and its brands Telemundo and NBC Universo will join the NBCUniversal advertising upfront presentation that morning at Radio City Music Hall as part of its entire portfolio of broadcast and cable networks.

TUESDAY, MAY 17
9:15 a.m.
ESPN
Minskoff Theatre

ESPN has used the Minskoff Theatre for the last several years, but this will be the first time ESPN Deportes buyers will be in attendance to hear about the Spanish-language sports network’s properties and advertising solutions. Previously, ESPN Deportes held its own events at locales such as Hearst Tower, where in 2014 it hosted a breakfast presentation and shuttled VIPs to the event, seated alongside key talent such as sportscaster Jorge Ramos.

Details on ESPN Deportes’s role at ESPN’s total market presentation were scant at deadline. However, John Fitzgerald, vice president of multimedia sales for ESPN Deportes and ESPN Audio, said advertisers interested in his networks will hear about the power of total market reach, and its live sports programming — rather than its studio shows and talent such as the aforementioned Ramos.

11 a.m.
UNIVISION
Lyric Theatre

“United We Stand, Together We Grow:” That’s the slogan behind a new marketing campaign that will serve as the theme of Univision’s 2016 upfront presentation.

According to the network, the motto highlights Univision’s core differentiators: young and influential viewers, “massive unduplicated reach” and its commitment to serving the needs of its diverse multicultural viewers.

“The Univision story is a unique one that no other media company has,” Univision executive vice president and chief marketing officer Jessica Rodriguez said in prepared comments. “Our ‘United We Stand, Together We Grow’ campaign illustrates our ability to reach high value multicultural consumers in the U.S. by delivering on our unyielding mission to inform, entertain, and empower our audience anywhere, anytime,” she said. “With fun and inspirational creative, this campaign demonstrates Univision’s unique ability to help our marketing partners deliver sustained business growth.”

Keith Turner, Univision’s President of Advertising Sales and Marketing, added, “We inspire loyalty among our young, influential, digitally savvy audience, which allows us to deliver results for advertisers across our multi-platform distribution network.”

The campaign, developed by the Our Man In Havana agency, will include out-of-home billboard displays in key markets, as well as print and digital advertisements.

AN EARLY JUMP ON UPFRONTS

Azteca America conducted an upfront road show this year, with events for advertisers already held over the last several weeks in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Dallas.

For the network, it’s “Game on!” That’s the theme of its upfronts, with advertisers learning about a roster of family game shows, adventure reality programming, dramas and live sporting events from network president Manuel Abud and executive vice president of network sales and digital Craig Geller.

“Azteca America enters this upfront season on the heels of delivering its best March ratings in five years across all key demos in primetime,” Abud said. “We have made good on all of last year’s promises and our ‘Game On!’ theme underscores our proven counter-programming strategy, further solidifying our position as an entertainment leader in the U.S.”

Azteca also introduced its digital programming strategy under the theme “A Better Life,” with content that is specific to the needs of its audience. By going to AztecaAmerica.com, visitors can get the latest news, entertainment and sports in their language and from their point of view. “

“A Better Life” extends into other social media as well, with feature deals, opportunities and information important to Latinos, available on their computers and mobile devices, and through social media platforms.

fuboTV, a self-described “sports-first” virtual MVPD, said it is entering the TV Everywhere game by providing access to authenticated content from beIN Sports.

That access, enabled by TVE authentication technology from Adobe, enables fuboTV subscribers to login to beIN Sports’s TVE apps (iOS and Android) and beIN Sports Connect web site, which deliver beIN’s two linear channels, as well as digital only-channels. Other MVPDs with TVE rights for beIN Sports include AT&T U-verse and DirecTV, Atlantic Broadband, Dish Network, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Cablevision Systems, Verizon FiOS, Cox Communications, and RCN, among others.  

"We continue to make good on our promise to customers to provide the ultimate sports experience. By being able to use their fuboTV credentials to log in to the beIN SPORTS TV Everywhere app, hundreds of thousands of fans are being provided an opportunity to connect with their favorite teams on a weekly basis, throughout each season," David Gandler, co-founder and CEO of fuboTV, said in a statement. 

fuboTV, which recently landed a $15 million Series B round led by Sky and 21st Century Fox, said it now has more than 50,000 subscribers.

The millennials-focused fuboTV service starts at $9.99 per month and offers live sporting events via distribution deals with partners that, in addition to beIN Sports, includes GolTV, Univision Deportes and Benfica TV. It recently announced distribution deals with Univision Communications, Pivot and Revolt Media & TV that brought on an additional 15 networks to fuboTV’s lineup.

Soccer remains an ever-important ratings and revenue driver for Hispanic sports networks.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that Univision Deportes and ESPN Deportes are each gearing up for tournaments they believe will be key draws for sponsors and viewers.

The 100th year anniversary edition of the Copa America Centenario tournament, to be held in the U.S. for the first time, is typically the biggest sporting event in the Americas. The tournament pits teams from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL member nations in a format similar to the World Cup.

While the first ball won't be kicked until June 3, Univision Deportes is already in pregame mode. Airing each Monday at 9 p.m. is America Redonda - Camino a la Copa America Centenario. The weekly show features an in-depth look at everything leading up to the tournament.

Hosts Luis Omar Tapia, Diego Balado, and José Luis López Salido will conduct exclusive interviews with the managers/head coaches of the participating teams, including Juan Carlos Osorio (Mexico), Jürgen Klinsmann (United States) and Gerardo Martino (Argentina). 

Additionally, Univision Deportes has set airdates of April 10, May 1 and May 15 for the 60-minute investigative feature Expediente. Featuring an in-depth look at failures and successes in the world of sports, the show is hosted by Adriana Monsalve, Lindsay Casinelli, Alejandro Berry and Iván Kasanzew and will focus solely on the tournament for its third season.

Meanwhile, Univision Deportes viewers can watch some of the best Copa America matches from years past, as they will be replayed daily until the start of this year's tournament.

Meanwhile, ESPN Deportes has already released its coverage schedule of the 2016 International Champions Cup tournament, which begins July 23 at 12:30 p.m. ET with Scotland’s Celtic vs. England’s Leicester City and concludes August 13 with Celtic vs. Italian side Inter Milan.

The ICC matches are part of an agreement with Relevent Sports granting ESPN the U.S. English-language and Spanish-language rights to the tournament through 2018.

 “The ICC is a great complement to our lineup of marquee international events this summer led by UEFA Euro 2016,” ESPN senior vice president of programming Scott Guglielmino said. “We look forward to showcasing some of the best soccer brands in the world across our media platforms to our bilingual soccer fans.”

And North American Soccer League (NASL) fans can now follow their favorite teams on beIN Sports, thanks to a rights deal with the second-tier U.S. pro soccer league that runs through 2017. Network coverage kicked off April 2 with Miami FC vs. the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

“With our new partnership with NASL firmly in place, we’re betting big on North American programming rooted in a growing U.S. fan base,” beIN Sports managing director Yousef Al-Obaidly said. “Featuring some of the country’s top professional soccer talent, this acquisition represents the first time we hold the rights to a domestic soccer league, further showcasing our commitment to providing access to the best sports leagues and events, both here and abroad.”

The NASL is comprised of 12 teams in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and uses a split-season schedule running from April to early November, with a four-week break in July.

“We're obviously very excited to announce our new partnership with beIN Sports,” said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson. “Like the NASL, beIN Sports has quickly grown in importance and stature across North America. Our savvy pro soccer fans here in North America are watching beIN Sports on a regular basis, and now they'll be able to watch exciting and competitive NASL action every week.”

The New York Cosmos enter the 2016 season as defending champions, and will face additional competition as three new teams make their NASL debut this spring: Oklahoma City-based Rayo OKC, owned by Spanish club Rayo Vallecano; Miami FC, co-owned by Italian soccer legend Paolo Maldini; and Puerto Rico FC, owned by New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.

Of course, beIN Sports's mainstay soccer telecasts are the likes of "El Clasico," the Spanish La Liga contests between F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid. The latest rendition, on April 2 from Barcelona's Camp Nou, ended in a 2-1 victory for the visiting team, with the late, winning goal coming from Cristiano Ronaldo. The broadcast averaged more than 1.9 million total viewers across the English and Spanish language channels and dominated on social media: on a tweets per unique author basis it had the most socially engaged audience of any sporting event on the day, including two Final Four games in the NCAA basketball tournament on TBS, beIN Sports said. The most-tweeted moment of the game was when Ronaldo scored the winning goal: 11,000 tweets at 4:15 p.m., according to the programmer, citing Nielsen. In Spanish, it was the top soccer telecast year to date against all cable networks regardless of language, the programmer said. 

Coverage in English and Spanish of the 2015 Copa America tournament in Chile by beIN SPORTS delivered winning results from a tied contest on Monday.

The 3-3 match between Mexico and Chile's national teams averaged nearly 1.5 million viewers across the two networks, which have exclusive rights to the South American international soccer tournament, the programmer said, citing Nielsen live plus same day figures. The results broke down to 1,056,287 viewers on beIN SPORTS en Español, one of the highest-rated telecasts in the channel’s history, and 422,318 viewers on beIN SPORTS, the English-language channel.

Collectively, the two contests that have featured the Mexican National Team (the first was on June 12 vs. Bolivia) have netted close to 2.5 million viewers across the two beIN SPORTS outlets.

Mexico’s next match will be on June 19, versus Ecuador, for a chance to advance into the quarterfinal round. The Copa America final will be played on July 4 and can be seen on the two beIN SPORTS channels and the beIN CONNECT app.

More than 1.3 million viewers have also watched The Express XTRA Chile 2015, the programmer’s daily sports wrap-up show featuring highlights and analysis, since the tournament's opening on June 11-14. The Spanish show features hosts Ana Cobos, Miguel Serrano, Carmen Boquin, and Pablo Mariño, joined by Francisco "Kikin" Fonseca, Sergio Goycochea. In English, host Terri Leigh is joined by analysts Ruud Gullit, Christian Vieri, Juan Pablo Angel, Andy Gray, Richards Keys and Tony Meola, beIN SPORTS said.

“We are thrilled with the results of this match so early into Copa America, but more so, that fans are happy with beIN SPORTS’ programming and coverage from our studios in Chile, Miami and Doha,” Antonio Briceño, deputy managing director of beIN SPORTS, said in a release. “We are pleased with the viewership results thus far and expect continued improvement as the tournament marches along."

beIN Sports netted growth with both its Spanish- and English-language networks' coverage of Sunday's El Clasico match.

Together, the services averaged 2.12 million watchers, according to Nielsen data, as FC Barcelona edged Real Mardrid 2-1 to extend its lead atop of La Liga to four points behind Luis Suarez's goal (pictured) in the 56th minute

The match delivered an average of 1.35 million total viewers on beIN Sports en Espanol and 767,000 total viewers on beIN Sports English, according to Nielsen.

Perhaps there are more Stateside Barca backers than Los Blancos supporters, as beIN Sports' coverage on March 22 jumped  64% with the Spanish-language service and 16% on the Anglo side from its presentation of Real Madrid's 3-1 win over FC Bacelona on Oct. 25, 2014. The clubs feature two of the most accomplished futbolers on the planet with FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ratings peaked during the 5:30 p.m (ET) quarter hour on beIN Sports English with 968,000. while beIN en Espanol tallied 1.69 million watchers during that time.

In addition to the usual bragging rights, the top spot in La Liga is on the line at El Clasico from Camp Nou on Sunday.

FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi will engage rival Real Madrid at 4 p.m. (ET), with beIN Sports, beIN Sports en Espanol and beIn Connect covering the action. The hosts lead their archrivals, which won the first encounter this season on Oct. 25, 2014 by a 3-1 count, including a penalty kick tally by Ballan D’or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ahead of Sunday’s match, Barcelona, whose marker last October came courtesy of Brazilian international Neymar, has risen past Madrid atop the La Liga table, 65 points to 64, each having played 27 matches.  

On the English-language side of the mic, Ray Hudson and Phil Schoen will call the action from Barcelona, while Jose Hernandez and Eduardo Biscayart have the honors in Spanish..

Pregame analysis and match day predictions can be found on The Express Pre-Game Show, beginning at 2 p.m. for both the English and Spanish networks.  A special postgame edition of The Express Xtra will follow the match and provide an in-depth look at all the highlights, goals, and controversial plays from the match.

  Special guests include former Barcelona and Netherlands superstar Patrick Kluivert, and Michel Salgado, who starred for Real Madrid and Spain.

beIN SPORTS has reached a distribution deal with direct-to-home satellite-TV service Shaw Direct that makes the sports programmer available on Channel 118 (Classic) and 618 (Advanced). The network is being carried to all Shaw Direct customers now during a free preview until March 15.

Shaw Direct, owned by cable provider Shaw Communications, has more than 900,000 subscribers across Canada, according to its web site.

beIN SPORTS live-game programming includes such top soccer leagues as Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, France’s Ligue 1, England’s Football Championship and the 2015 Copa America tournament.

“We are excited to bring Canadian sports fans the best live sporting action from around the globe along with all the highlights and expert analysis,” Yousef Al-Obaidliy, Deputy CEO of beIN Media Group, said in a release. “With beIN SPORTS’ premium international sporting content, Shaw Direct customers can rely on us to deliver the highest quality coverage presented in a dynamic and relevant manner.”

beIN SPORTS is also carried in Canada by Bell TV, Eastlink, MTS, Rogers, Telus and Videotron.

The 44th edition of the Copa America tournament kicks off in June from Chile, and the host nation has received a favorable draw.

beIN Sports and beIN SPORTS en Español on Monday night provided live coverage of the draw for the 2015 Copa América from Viña del Mar, with Chile, ranked 13th in the FIFA world rankings, heading Group A, where it will square off against México (17), Ecuador (27) and Bolivia (103). The tourney begins with Chile batttling Ecuador in Santiago on Thursday, June 11.

The networks hold the U.S. rights to the competition, featuring the 10 CONMEBOL South American teams, plus El Tri and Jamaica.

Group B comprises Argentina (2), Uruguay (8), Paraguay (76) and Jamaica (113), while Group C houses Colombia (3), Brazil (6), Peru (54) and Venezuela (85).

The top two sides from each group, and the two best third-place finishers, advance to the quarterfinals and the event’s knockout stage.

 “We are thrilled to be the exclusive provider of the 2015 Copa América tournament in both English and Spanish, across all platforms and devices,” said Yousef Al-Obaidliy, deputy CEO of beIN Media Group. “Copa América is among the most-viewed and popular soccer events for fans worldwide. In the U.S. specifically, we will provide original content and coverage showcasing the best selected teams for true soccer fans in their preferred language and anywhere they would like to watch it.”

The final group matches are scheduled for Sunday, June 21. The knockout round begins on Wednesday, June 24 ahead of the final on Saturday, July 4.

Comcast stock rose more than 3% in early trading Thursday after the cable operator posted improved subscriber metrics in the third quarter and dampened any speculation that over-the-top offerings would affect its overall business.

Comcast stock was up as much as 3.2% ($1.64 per share) to $53.13 each. The stock settled down later in the day to $52.94 each, up 2.7%.

The nation’s largest cable operator seemed to lift investor spirits with improved video customer metrics – it lost 81,000 basic video subscribers in the period, its best Q3 showing in seven years – and assurances that recent over-the-top offerings from Home Box Office and CBS won’t cut into its business.

HBO announced plans to make its premium channel available online without a pay TV subscription on Oct. 15. HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler has said the service, which will be available sometime next year, will initially target broadband-only customers and that the premium service will partner with pay TV distributors. The next day, CBS announced a $5.99 per month over-the-top service that will include live local programming from CBS owned and operated stations in 14 markets as well as on demand episodes of  network shows like The Good Wife, Survivor and Blue Bloods.

NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke  said he was surprised by the OTT announcements.

“I was surprised by both of them for different reasons,” Burke said on a conference call with analysts. “CBS I was surprised because they have been such a defender of retransmission consent and the traditional ecosystem and have been so successful in the broadcast business. And HBO because I think it’s going to be such a challenge for them to not cannibalize what is already a really, really good business for them. That having being said, we’re so early on in the transition to more Internet television that I think we are going to see a lot of surprising things.”

But Burke also called for perspective

“I don’t think distributing directly to consumers via the Internet is an easy thing to do,” Burke said.

On the programming side, Burke said that NBU will invest more in original programming on its USA Network – he didn’t say how much – adding that the programmer had been known for “blue-sky procedurals” and could see more “edgier” shows, as well as sports programming from other NBCU channels.

Comcast Cable CEO Neil Smit also chimed in when asked if HBO’s OTT offering would cut into the core business. He noted that Comcast was the first cable operator to introduce Internet Plus, a package of high-speed data service and HBO to consumers, a relationship he expects to continue. And he added that the operator’s X1 platform has been a strong retention tool for customers and is driving more linear TV viewing even among younger consumers.

DishLatino, Dish Network’s Spanish language programming tier, has expanded its sports coverage, adding soccer-focused sports network beIN Sports en Español.

In a statement, Dish said BeIN Sports en Español will be available across all DishLatino packages, and offers a wide variety of sports in addition to its extensive soccer coverage, including motorcross, cycling, rugby and boxing. The network is launching on channel 873 in standard definition, is also available in Dish's America's Top 250, Everything and Multi-Sport Packs.

The parent network – beIN Sports –  first came on the scene in 2012, backed by Al Jazeera Sports and other investors, and has gained steam in the wake of the FIFA 2014 World Cup this summer, when it aired several qualifying matches.

"DishLatino is building on this summer's fútbol fever with the launch of beIN Sports en Español," said DishLatino vice president Alfredo Rodriguez in a statement. "Our subscribers will find beIN Sports en Español is a unique addition to our sports lineup, especially in time for the channel's coverage of this fall's many upcoming international sports events."

While beIN Sports mainly focuses on soccer leagues in Europe, Africa and the Middle East – including La Liga in Spain (featuring top players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta), Italy’s Serie A (featuring matchups between powerhouses like Juventus, AC Milan, Roma and Inter Milan) and the French Ligue 1 (featuring free-flowing teams like Paris St. Germain, Olympique Marseille and Lyon) – it also has exclusive rights to the 2015 Copa America in Chile and the Copa del Rey tournament for Spanish League teams, and England’s  second division Football League Championship, where the top three teams win promotion to the lucrative Premier League.

"The DishLatino content team has just scored another coup for its customers by bringing our spanish language network to its customers," said deputy CEO of beIN Media Group Yousef Al-Obaidly in a statement. "DishLatino customers are passionate and knowledgeable fans, and beIN Sports en Español will offer them more soccer and top flight international competition than any other channel."