ESPN Deportes Takes Social Media to TV With '#Redes'

Bud Light will sponsor live multiscreen viewing effort featuring content from Web and social media

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/16/2013 12:57:04 PM

On Monday, Jan. 21, ESPN Deportes will begin airing #Redes, a show that the company is billing as the first live multiscreen viewing experience for bilingual Hispanic sports fans.

The hour-long show, which will be sponsored by Bud Light, gathers content from around the Web and focuses on social conversations about sports, entertainment, music and pop culture.

"Television consumption continues to evolve and so are our viewers, especially the new generation of Hispanic sports fans who regularly interact across social media space while consuming our content," said Lino Garcia, general manager of ESPN Deportes, in a statement. "We are excited to offer Bud Light a unique opportunity to connect with the sports fans across TV and our digital assets with innovative, relevant content."

Topics for the show will be selected by aggregation tools that monitor rising social trends, tweets, Facebook posts, YouTube videos and photos. The data and content gathered online will then be part of a variety of interactive segments.

As the presenting sponsor of #Redes, Bud Light will have branded placements on the set and logo integrations across the different segments as well as exclusive brand integrations into the show's mobile and digital offerings, ESPN reports.

#Redes will also offer an extension of Bud Light's Fan Forum on ESPN's SportsCenter, which provides a forum where fans can hold online discussions of various subjects.

"Fans are turning toward second-screen experiences to enhance their sports viewing, and #Redes will perfectly capture the trends and social conversations that matter to Latino millennials," added Blaise D'Sylva, VP of media, sports and entertainment markets at Anheuser-Busch in a statement. "We're also excited to bring the Fan Forum to ESPN Deportes and provide fans a platform to share their thoughts and opinions to a national audience."

Sports journalist Carolina Guillén will work as the lead host along with cohosts, Alfredo Lomeli and Barak Fever.