Hispanics are rewriting the rulebook on how the U.S. is watching sports. According to a 2024 Nielsen report titled Fanáticos: Nielsenʼs playbook on Hispanic audiences, sports and media engagement, Hispanic viewership is up across soccer, basketball, baseball and even American football. This provides businesses a great opportunity to capitalize on this growing trend. DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS® offers a winning lineup of Spanish and English language sports programming that will help you connect with Hispanic and Latino audiences and provide a win for your business.
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Hispanic Sports Viewership By The Numbers
According to the 2024 Nielsen Report, Hispanic viewership is driving growth in all major sporting events. Take a look at some of the numbers*:
- The 2024 Copa América Final was watched by more than 12 million U.S. viewers across Univision and Fox, becoming the most watched Copa América in U.S. history, of which 53% of viewers were Hispanic.
- Between 2021 and 2024, Hispanic viewership for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship grew by a staggering 354%. This is happening alongside the growing popularity of women’s sports in general.
- The NFL is also drawing in more Hispanic viewers, with viewership for The Big Game increasing from 10% in 2016 to 14% in 2024.
- Hispanic viewers made up 15% of the audience for the 2023 MLB World Series vs. only 10% in 2016.
- Latino athletes are also driving an increase in viewership, particularly soccer star Lionel Messi. His debut Major League Soccer match for Inter Miami in 2023 drove a 270% increase in linear TV viewership on Univision.
The report also outlines that there are 65 million Latinos in the U.S., making up 19% of the total population, with 68% speaking some Spanish and 32% only speaking English. Latinos have a significant influence on the economy, with an estimated $3.4 trillion in purchasing power. So, it’s not just a growing trend to appeal to Hispanic viewers; it’s good business.
What Sports Are Hispanic Audiences Watching?
Now that you know that Hispanic audiences are tuning into more sports games, which sports should you show to tap into this audience? Here’s a list of top sports to show at your business if you’re looking to attract more Hispanic customers.
Soccer (Fútbol)
Soccer viewership has been growing in recent years in the U.S., and a big driver is the Hispanic community. Major League Soccer reported that about 30% of its fans are Hispanic.
Baseball
Baseball may be America’s pastime, but star players from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries have drawn in Latino fans for generations. In 2024, over 30% of MLB players identified as Latino or Hispanic.
Boxing
While boxing has been declining in viewership in recent years, it continues to draw strong viewership from the Hispanic community as they tune in to watch the many Latino boxers.
Basketball
The NBA is growing in popularity, especially among younger Latinos, thanks to initiatives by the NBA to better connect with the Hispanic community and Latino NBA players like Al Horford, Chris Duarte and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
American Football
According to an article by NPR, Latinos are the fastest-growing fan base in the NFL. In 2025, the NFL announced it would play seven regular-season games outside the United States, including games in São Paulo, Brazil and Madrid, Spain. The NFL is also working to grow its Latino and Spanish-speaking audiences through its “Por La Cultura” campaign.
Combat Sports
From MMA to UFC, combat sports continue to be popular among Hispanic audiences. According to an article by Yahoo! Sports, 22% of UFC’s U.S.-based audience identifies as Hispanic.
Wrestling
Wrestling continues to be very popular among Hispanic and Latino fan bases. A recent article said that Hispanic viewers make up about 12% of the total audience across RAW, SmackDown and NXT, and Latino fans are 42% more likely to stream WWE content than non-Hispanics.
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What Businesses Can Benefit From Showing Sports Focused Toward Hispanic Audiences?
Many businesses can benefit from showing sports and Spanish programming. Here are some examples:
- Restaurants: Whether you run a Mexican, Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Colombian or other Latino restaurant, you can keep customers staying longer and ordering more by showing sports in your main dining or bar area.
- Panaderías: Latin bakeries selling pan dulce, cakes and traditional pastries can benefit from putting TVs in the breakroom for employees.
- Mercados: Grocery stores that stock spices, snacks, produce and products from across Latin America could also be good places to connect with Hispanic audiences.
- Hair Salons & Barber Shops: Show sports or Spanish TV shows to keep Hispanic customers entertained during their appointments.
- Nail Salons: Provide customers with TV entertainment as they get manicures and pedicures.
- Car and tire shops: Put on the game to give your customers something to watch while they wait for their vehicle to be serviced.
Get A Winning Sports Package For Your Business
DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS gives you the best of both Spanish and English language programming. Enjoy a diverse lineup of Spanish language channels from 16 countries featuring the best sports, news and entertainment, plus all the English programming your business needs. DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS also offers Spanish a la Carte Packages that you can add on to your existing COMMERCIAL BASIC PLUS plan to provide businesses with better savings and more flexibility. Customers also enjoy 99% worry-free signal reliability**, hassle-free customer service and no cost standard professional installation. Call 888.303.9117 to get started today!
*Stats pulled from Fanáticos: Nielsenʼs playbook on Hispanic audiences, sports and media engagement.
**Based on a representative study of national cities
