• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 90 minutes ago

TelevisaUnivision, the Spanish-language TV-media company, is boosting its sports programming -- like every other legacy TV media company

This comes through leveraging sports' live high viewership, pulling in higher ad revenue with brands and advertisers.

Leveraging live sports viewership helps pull in higher ad revenue across a platform's wide-ranging content. But more focus should be placed on future younger audiences, especially for legacy-owned streaming platforms.

For TelevisaUnivision, think about its ViX streaming platform.

For its upfront presentation, the company is touting adding new soccer (European football) programming, with its first-ever deals for CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana.

These are South American nation focus competitions -- similar to Europe’s UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

This is in addition to CONCACAF's Gold Cup and Nations League, and an extension for Mexican National Team matches through 2034.

In addition, Univision will be airing the Super Bowl LXI -- in partnership with ESPN/ABC, which is airing the English-language version of the game. It will also have Formula 1 -- in a deal with Apple -- airing the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

This comes a day after Amazon Prime Video talked up its efforts around more sports -- now currently airing its first new season with the NBA.

This adds to its strong “Thursday Night Football” series from the NFL. Prime Video also has new deals with NASCAR, the WNBA, Duke University sports, and the New York Yankees.

Amazon notes that “TNF” viewing audiences are seven years younger on Prime Video than on linear TV.

Amazon’s first season with the NBA? That is around nine years younger than linear. NASCAR? Five years younger.

Tanner Elton, vice president of U.S. ad sales for Amazon, told The Hollywood Reporter: “Sports is one of the most valuable medias that the brands are seeing, and we’re seeing this on Prime Video as well.”

So Amazon is not alone. Think NFL on Paramount+, Peacock, ESPN’s app, getting similar results. All that leverages even more brand appeal -- and engagement when it comes to buying.

Much of the focus has been on how sports have boosted and/or maintained legacy, linear TV networks, and less so on its streaming platforms -- especially if those sports events aren not exclusive on those streamers. Still this builds foundations for the future when it comes to younger audiences.

All this leaves us with the obvious question: What will those over-the-air networks look like five years from now?