InterLiga Tournament @ Fox Sports en Español.

Fox Sports en Español announced it has entered into a four-year programming deal with Soccer United Marketing (SUM) that gives the Spanish-language sports network live and exclusive television rights to the prestigious InterLiga Tournament from 2007 through 2010. All matches will also be telecast by sister network Fox Sports Latin America. The InterLiga Tournament has aired exclusively on Fox Sports en Español and Fox Sports Latin America since 2004.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Soccer United Marketing and continue to deliver the finest international club soccer programming available,” said David Sternberg, executive vice president and general manager of Fox Sports en Español. “Fox Sports en Español has enjoyed tremendous success with our exclusive and live telecasts of InterLiga over the past few years and this important deal further solidifies our positioning among viewers and advertisers as the only network to provide coverage of as many as four of the most important Latin American soccer tournaments.”

Starting with the 2007 edition of InterLiga next January, Fox Sports en Español will produce and telecast 14 matches each year. The television component of the agreement will be complemented by additional content rights for Fox Sports en Español’s Web site, fse.tv, and its wireless and VOD content packages. The parties will also exchange promotional consideration and will work together on sponsorship sales for the SUM programming.

“We are extremely pleased to continue our partnership with Fox Sports en Español for the InterLiga Tournament,” said Douglas Quinn, president of Soccer United Marketing Enterprises. “Fox Sports En Español provides a passionate soccer audience that embraces world-class soccer events such as InterLiga. We look forward to the continued growth of InterLiga(TM) with our partners at Fox Sports en Español.”

The eight teams that will participate in the InterLiga tournament will be selected based on their performance during the Mexican League’s Apertura 2005 (fall-winter season) and Clausura 2006 (spring-summer season). The top two teams will qualify for automatic berths into the 47th edition of Copa Toyota Libertadores.

The 2006 edition of InterLiga enjoyed huge ratings growth. According to Nielsen Media Research, Fox Sports en Español’s final telecast yielded a strong 3.4 national Hispanic rating among Men 18-49, while the 14-match tournament averaged a strong 2.0 NHTI rating for the same demo. Overall impressions among Hispanic households increased by more than 150 percent over the previous year, while viewership among Adults 18-49 and Men 18-49 rose in excess of 200 and 300 percent, respectively.