US media behemoth Fox Corporation, which provides a free streaming service in the Mexican market under the name of Tubi, has announced the acquisition of Caliente TV, a Mexican sports broadcasting brand owned by betting powerhouse Caliente. Caliente TV delivers its content through an OTT platform, a Pay TV channel and YouTube (with content variations across media types). The move was announced on June 19 by means of a press release in which Fox explained that by adding Caliente TV broadcasting rights to the rights currently held by the company, it would create a new Pay TV channel and an SVOD platform.
Carlos Martínez, who used to hold the position of President of Fox Latin America unit before it was acquired by Disney, will be in charge of the new project, after having been appointed as Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Latin America, Fox Corporation. He noted: “Fox’s investment to acquire Caliente TV reflects our commitment to building a leading sports streaming business in Mexico with massive audience reach, a robust sports rights portfolio and an impressive roster of exclusive sports leagues and talent”.
In this way, Fox Corporation bolsters its presence in Mexico and reaffirms its bet on live sports. The company is the holder of licenses to broadcast the Premier League (English soccer league), the FA Cup (second most important soccer tournament in England), the Concachampions (most important club soccer competition in North America, Central America and the Caribbean), as well as home games played by Pachuca, León, Tigres and FC Juárez within Liga MX (Mexican soccer league). As a result of the deal, Fox will add other tournaments whose broadcast rights are held by Caliente TV: the Champions League (top European club soccer competition), the Coppa Italia (second most important soccer tournament in Italy), the Ligue 1 (France’s soccer league), Mexico’s Baseball League (LMB), in addition to Liga MX home games played by Tijuana (Xolos) and Querétaro (Gallos). Finally, in the press release Fox notes that the intention is to expand the initiative into Central America.
