Comcast agrees to carry Univision Deportes

Comcast Corp., of Philadelphia, which has faced criticism over its potential market power with Hispanic TV audiences, has agreed to distribute Univision Communications Inc.'s 24-hour cable-TV sports network to almost 12 million Comcast TV homes, the companies said Tuesday.

The Spanish-language Univision Deportes Network will be available on Comcast's digital preferred tier or through its Xfinity Latino service. The agreement seems likely to neutralize a potential opponent of Comcast's proposed $45.2 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable Inc.

Randel Falco, Univision's chief executive officer and president, said earlier this year that the federal government needed to investigate and potentially impose tough conditions on Comcast/Time Warner Cable to protect minority TV viewers, citing Comcast's refusal to distribute the Univision Deportes Network and two other Univision channels.

Univision feels particularly threatened, at least in part, because Comcast-owned Telemundo TV network has made no secret of its desire to challenge Univision for Hispanic viewers. Univision is the No. 1 Spanish-language TV network and Telemundo is the nation's No. 2.

Univision's sports coverage includes a range of soccer leagues in North America and Europe - most notably Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team, and Mexico's league and national team. Games are spread across Univision Deportes and four other channels, including the company's over-the-air network.

This year, Univision launched an online streaming platform for its U.S. and Mexican national team games, as well as select Mexican league games. It is free of charge but requires authentication though participating pay-TV providers. Comcast subscribers will get access to the platform as part of the TV carriage deal.

Univision Deportes is expected to be available to Xfinity customers in October.