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MUMBAI:
ESPN has acquired the US media rights for the 2013 Africa
Cup of Nations, the premier championship for national soccer
teams in the continent of Africa.
ESPN3,
the company's live multi-screen sports network available in
83 million homes, will be the primary home for live presentation
of the three-week tournament in South Africa that began 19
January through 10 February.
ESPN
Deportes, the 24-hour Spanish-language sports network, will
televise the semifinals and final matches on delay. This is
the first time Africa's most prominent soccer championship
will be available in the United States via a media platform
reaching a mass audience.
The
agreement includes access to match highlights across ESPN
media platforms such as ESPN FC, the company's sole destination
for soccer content; studio news, highlights and analysis programs
such as SportsCenter, ESPN FC Press Pass on ESPNEWS, as well
as SportsCenter and Los Capitanes on ESPN Deportes.
This
year's Africa Cup of Nations is the 29th edition of the tournament.
Teams representing 16 nations compete in the tournament, following
a qualification process among the 54 member nations of the
Confederation of African Football (CAF), the governing body
for the sport of soccer in Africa.
The
winner of the tournament will represent Africa in the 2013
Fifa Confederations Cup in Brazil, 15-30 June, competing in
Group B along with Spain (Europe), Uruguay (South America)
and Tahiti (Oceana).
Regarded
as one of the most festive and colorful soccer tournaments
among Fifa's six football confederations, the African Cup
of Nations (Afcon) features some of the best soccer professionals
in the top European leagues. The competition is held every
two years.
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