XM To Broadcast World Cup 2006 Soccer Tournament.

XM Satellite Radio announced that it will be the exclusive satellite radio broadcaster for the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Soccer tournament. Through a partnership with Andres Cantor, the legendary soccer play-by-play announcer and chairman of the leading syndicator of soccer programming in Hispanic radio, Futbol de Primera, XM will offer unmatched audio coverage of the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Soccer tournament, including team selection and qualifying matches, in both English and Spanish.

“With the ability to air the most play-by-play coverage, XM Satellite Radio is the ideal platform to broadcast the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Soccer tournament,” said Eric Logan, Executive Vice President of Programming for XM Satellite Radio. “Our exclusive satellite radio broadcast rights for the FIFA World Cup will be an excellent compliment to our extensive play-by-play coverage of Major League Baseball, NASCAR, and college sports, as well as our new 24-hour Spanish-language sports channel.”

As the official satellite radio network for the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Soccer tournament, XM has rights to broadcast play-by-play of all 64 tournament matches in both English and Spanish. The Spanish play-by-play coverage will be featured on XM’s newly announced 24-hour Spanish-language sports channel, slated to launch in July 2005. In addition to in-depth coverage of the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Soccer tournament, the channel will feature coverage of all sports from Latin America and Mexico, including baseball and boxing, along with real-time reporting on sports from all over the world. The English-language coverage of World Cup matches will air on a separate channel.

“As the exclusive satellite radio broadcaster for FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Soccer tournament, English and Spanish-speaking fans alike will be able to follow their favorite teams with XM’s play-by-play coverage of World Cup matches in both languages,” said Andres Cantor.