BBG Networks Bring World Cup to Global Audiences
The World Cup starts today in Brazil, and the networks of the BBG have lined up a comprehensive slate of coverage across multiple platforms for its worldwide audiences.
Voice of America has several journalists in Brazil covering the tournament, including Burke Award winner Scott Bobb, and earlier this week the network announced the launch of a new soccer television program called Penalty Box and two new mobile friendly blogs to provide engaging and up-to-the-minute content from the games.
VOA’s Latin America Division has a team of correspondents providing live reports throughout Latin America on seven TV and 13 radio affiliates daily, as well as for VOA programs El Mundo (The World), Africa 54, and The Correspondent and for Radio Martí. Recorded TV and radio packages will also be available for all Latin American affiliates and VOA’s Creole programming, and the French-to-Africa Service will provide additional coverage on several African teams as they compete in the games. The Persian Service is also sending a number of reporters to Brazil to provide daily updates and live hits on their three daily shows.
VOA’s Persian reports will also be folded into Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda coverage of the games. This, in addition to RFE/RL’s continuing coverage and updates, especially on the progress of teams from Russia, Bosnia and Croatia.
In addition, Alhurra and Radio Sawa will be covering the games across a variety of platforms with reporters based in Brazil. Alhurra’s daily reports recapping games and previewing upcoming matches will be available on the air and online via Alhurra.com, YouTube, and social media. Alhurra’s daily news magazine Al Youm (Today) will interview fans from 19 countries throughout the Middle East about their obsession with the World Cup and will collect their favorite memories. Al Youm will also take a look at how the games may promote harmony in Israel and the Palestinian Territories and provide distraction for Syrian and Darfur refugees. In addition to its daily updates, Radio Sawa will provide live blogs, social media engagement with a special focus on the Algerian team and its fans’ expectations.
Television Martí will have a recap of the World Cup games on the weekday newscast Antena Live, and Radio Martí will provide daily updates on its sports show Al Duro y Sin Guantes (Hardball with the Gloves Off), as well as post-game coverage and analysis on martinoticias.com. Radio Martí’s weekly music show El Encanto (The Song) has created a special lineup for the World Cup, including the theme songs of the Cup from the last 20 years.
Several reporters from the BBG networks will be tweeting updates. You can follow that list here.
Brazil will kick off the Cup today in Sao Paulo at 4:00 PM EST against Croatia.