NEW YORK, PRNewswire/ — Using a full collection of its multimedia assets, ESPN Deportes will provide comprehensive Spanish-language news and information coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup from South Africa June 11 – July 11, 2010.  ESPN Deportes’ month-long news and information World Cup coverage will originate from a picturesque view of Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg, as well as from studios in Buenos Aires, Dallas, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami and Bristol, Connecticut. In addition, to complement its comprehensive Spanish-language news and information coverage of the quadrennial sports event, ESPN Deportes will provide Portuguese-language telecasts of 56 live World Cup matches, starting with the opener as host nation South Africa plays Mexico at Soccer City in Johannesburg June 11 at 9:30 a.m. ET. Highlights:

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100610/NY19184 )

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100610/NY19184 )

• World Cup-related content across ESPN Deportes TV, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPNdeportes.com, ESPN Deportes La Revista and ESPN Deportes Movil;
• More than 1100 hours of World Cup-related news and information programming on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes Radio combined – the most number of hours the network has ever dedicated to covering a single sporting event;
• More than 70 on-air commentators (hosts, analysts, reporters and contributors) – 20 providing reports from site; nine newsgathering units covering specific teams throughout the tournament;
• Coverage will be presented by an experienced commentator team, including Mario Kempes (Argentina 1974, 78-Champions and 82; ’78 Golden Boot winner); Quique Wolff (Argentina 1974), Jose Ramon Fernandez (covered every FIFA World Cup since 1978); Jorge Ramos (covered every FIFA World Cup since 1986); David Faitelson (covered every FIFA World Cup since 1986), Fernando Schwartz (covered seven FIFA World Cup); John Sutcliffe (four FIFA World Cups: ’94, ’98, ’02, ’06);
• Live 7:30a.m. – 9 p.m. windows of news and information, including eight daily World Cup-centric editions of SportsCenter (five on TV,  three on Radio); onsite production of Fuera de Juego and Cronometro and significant portions of Futbol Picante;
• Portuguese-language telecast of 56 FIFA World Cup matches featuring commentator team led by former soccer players Zinho, a member of Brazil’s 1994 FIFA World Cup-winning team and Favio Batata;
• ESPN Deportes Radio, the only all-sports 24/7 Spanish-language radio network in the U.S., will offer around-the-clock World Cup-related news and info, anchored by the broadcast of its signature soccer talk show, Jorge Ramos y Su Banda, from South Africa throughout the tournament;
• ESPNdeportes.com is providing complete coverage and analysis of the tournament on a World Cup-dedicated microsite that features breaking news, game analysis, and much more;
• ESPN Deportes Movil, the network’s emerging mobile platform, will offer ESPN Deportes Alerts where fans can sign up for free Spanish language text message updates to receive select scores and news by texting FUTBOL to 43776;
• ESPN La Revista 2010 FIFA World Cup Guide featuring a detailed profile on the 32 teams.

ESPN DEPORTES NEWS & INFO. (All times Eastern)

• SportsCenter (9:30 a.m.; 12 p.m.; 4:30 p.m.; 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.) five editions daily – including a 90-minute edition at the conclusion of the last match of the day at 4:30 p.m.;
• Jorge Ramos y su Banda (1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.) ESPN Deportes Radio’s soccer talk-show (simulcast on ESPN Deportes) will originate from South Africa and feature co-hosts Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra with live guests, entertaining discussions of the day’s sports news and analysis. The program will be broadcast each day in-between the early matches. A second edition will be broadcast on ESPN Deportes Radio (only) from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.;
• Fuera de Juego (6 p.m.) the network’s international soccer show co-hosted by World Cup legend and Mario Kempes and ESPN Deportes soccer commentator Fernando Palomo will be produced from site throughout the tournament with ESPN Deportes commentators Andres Agulla, Jose Hernandez, Jose Antonio Noriega, Richard Mendez and Ricardo Ortiz joining from Bristol;
• Sudafrica Al Dia (6:30 p.m.) a 30-minute recap show airing during the tournament and featuring hits from site on relevant news surrounding all the action;
• Juego Cruzado (7 p.m.) the network’s program modeled after Around the Horn will feature the show’s daily panelists from newspaper newsrooms in New York, Miami and Mexico.  Rafa Ramos of La Opinion newspaper will join the show from ESPN Deportes’ studios in South Africa;
• Cronometro (7:30 p.m.) the network’s program modeled after Pardon the Interruption will originate entirely from South Africa featuring co-hosts Jose Ramon Fernandez and David Faitelson debating the hottest topics of the day throughout the tournament;
• Futbol Picante (8 p.m.) the network’s Mexican soccer news program will be aired daily and follow Mexico’s National Soccer team and their journey through the World Cup and feature co-hosts Jose Ramon Fernandez, Rafa Puente (former player and coach), Daniel Brailovsky (former player and coach) and Ciro Procuna from South Africa.  The show will be expanded to 90 minutes on days Team Mexico plays.

LIVE FIFA WORLD CUP GAMES IN PORTUGUESE

In addition comprehensive Spanish-language news and information, ESPN Deportes will present live coverage of 56 matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, from the opener (South Africa vs. Mexico) on June 11 through the Final in July 11.  Veteran ESPN Brasil soccer commentators Flavio Pereira and Jose Werneck will handle the play-by-play joined by former soccer players Crizam Cesar de Olivereira Filho, better known as Zinho and Favio Batata. Zinho, who most recently served as the manager of Miami FC of the USL First Division, was a member of the 1994 FIFA World Cup winning team.  He was capped 57 times between March 1989 and February 1998.  Batata started his career with Santos in 1977. In 1978 he won the championship with Sao Paulo and was with Vila Belmiro for three years.  He played with Mexico’s Club America from 1980-1984, returning that year to Brazil to play with Parana Clube.

ESPN Deportes Radio:

The only 24/7 Spanish-language sports radio network in the U.S. will feature around-the-clock World Cup news and information coverage to 43 affiliates nationwide, anchored by three daily live editions of its soccer talk show, Jorge Ramos y Su Banda from studios at Nelson Mandela Square.   ESPN Deportes Radio will have at least two reporters live from ESPN Deportes Radio studios in Nelson Mandela Square participating on shows throughout the day. Radio coverage will include:

• Al Despertar en Sudafrica (5 a.m.-7 a.m.) – Co-hosted Kenneth Garray, Humberto Carrera, Andres Agulla and Pedro Vita, the morning-drive show will provide a recap of all the matches from the previous day;
• SportsCenter (8 a.m.; 3 p.m.; 12 a.m.) three, one-hour editions providing the latest news and information surrounding the event in addition to SportsCenter updates every 20 minutes;
• Raza Mundialista (9 a.m.-1 p.m.) the radio network’s talk show will be broadcast in-between the early matches featuring up-to-the-minute news and information with program’s co-hosts David Faitelson and Rafa Ramos joining in live from South Africa;
• Jorge Ramos y su Banda (1 p.m.-3 p.m.; 4 p.m.-7 p.m.) ESPN Deportes Radio’s soccer talk-show (simulcast on ESPN Deportes) will originate from South Africa and feature co-hosts Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra with live guests, entertaining discussions of the day’s sports news and analysis. The program will be broadcast each day in-between the early matches and at the conclusion of the last match of the day;
• Destino Sudafrica (7 p.m.-9 p.m.) will be fully dedicated to covering all the World Cup action from the fan’s point of view.  The show will be fueled by fan interaction, giving fans the opportunity to call-in and give their opinion on the tournament;
• Balon 2010 (9 p.m.-12 a.m.) this talk-show will be broadcast exclusively during the World Cup and feature a recap of all the matches of the day;
• Zona Mixta (1 a.m.-5 a.m.) ESPN Deportes Radio’s evening daily program will provide a recap of the day’s matches and feature special guests from South Africa.

ESPN DEPORTES MOVIL

ESPN Deportes’ emerging platform will offer for the first time ESPN Deportes Alerts where fans can sign up for free Spanish language text message updates to receive select scores and news by texting FUTBOL to 43776.

ESPNDEPORTES.COM

At ESPNdeportes.com Mundial 2010 soccer fans will also be able to access complete on-the-ground Spanish language coverage from a team of writers, correspondents and on-air commentators for ESPNdeportes.com, including renowned coach Carlos Bianchi and ESPN Deportes analysts D. Brailovsky, D. Faitelson, J.R. Fernandez, F. Palomo, J. Ramos and F. Schwartz.

Other features available from ESPNdeportes.com Mundial 2010 include:

• Expert analysis and opinion from exclusive video segments produced in South Africa;
• Real-time enhanced GameCast of all 64 games with an enhanced chat application where users can post comments, send tweets or follow a Facebook feed from their friends;
• Live tweets from South Africa with commentary on the matches, news from South Africa and World Cup-related programming updates by following @ESPNdeportes/mundial2010;
• Photo galleries capturing all the action of every match;
• A comprehensive look at every team and the top players of the tournament;
• Worldwide contributions from ESPN experts in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, London, Bristol and South Africa;
• Spanish-language versions of the four fantasy games developed for the World Cup.

ESPN DEPORTES LA REVISTA

The June issue of ESPN Deportes La Revista, on newsstands this week, features Lionel Messi (Argentina), Andres Guardado (Mexico), David Villa (Spain) and Yoann Gourcuff (France) on the cover.  ESPN Deportes La Revista’s World Cup Preview provides a group-by-group breakdown of the 32 teams that will be battling it out for the World Cup trophy—predictions and analysis.  Articles in this issue include:

• “Historia de la Redonda” – an in-depth look at the World Cup over the past 50 years;
• “Anejas Rivalidades” – In their quest for conquering the most coveted trophy, the World Cup has left historic rivals — in-and-off-the-field. This issue explores how the major rivalries came to being;
• “Carteles mundialistas” – The power of soccer expressed through art – this issue reports on how artists use the World Cup as a platform to inspire and sometimes foster a social movement through soccer;
• “La Soledad del Portero” – Being a goalkeeper is considered by many the loneliest position in sports — profile on Guillermo Ochoa, goalkeeper of the Mexican National Team.
• “Sudafrica entre la libertad y el futbol” – First they fought for their independence and now South Africa, the first African nation to host a World Cup, wants to make history on the field.

Carlsbad, CA /PRNewswire/ — On Saturday, May 22, the Upper Deck Company sent a crew to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to orchestrate three very important components at this year’s NFL PLAYERS Rookie Premiere Photo Shoot. First, they had to photograph each of the top college draft picks sporting their collegiate jerseys for upcoming football products licensed by NFL PLAYERS and the Collegiate Licensing Company. Next, they had to collect thousands of hard-signed autographs from the 35 participating players to be used as insert cards in the Upper Deck sets. Lastly, they taped the players answering questions about their collegiate careers and then asked their opinions on where LeBron James – one of Upper Deck’s exclusive spokesmen who’s considered the most sought-after free agent in the world – might be playing basketball next season.

“We had an opportunity to get up close with each of the top college draft picks and solicit their thoughts on everything from their most memorable moments on the football field to what their collegiate programs might be like now that they’re moving on to the professional ranks,” said Terry Melia, Upper Deck’s public relations manager. “Possibly the most thought-provoking question we asked each of them was where LeBron James might wind up in uniform next season.”

The players’ guesses ranged from James staying in Cleveland to win an eventual championship for his hometown team, to moving out west to play for either the Lakers or Clippers, to going to the New York Knicks to revive the Big Apple’s basketball landscape. Some of the players, like Florida’s Tim Tebow and Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen, didn’t venture a guess per se as to which team he might wind up playing for, but did wish James well on his upcoming decision when he becomes an unrestricted free-agent on July 1.

To get the full skinny from 21 different college football standouts including Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Gerald McCoy and Andre Roberts on where Upper Deck’s exclusive autograph-signing spokesman should play next season, go to http://upperdecksports.tv/video/LeBrons-Next-Destination-2010-2. If nothing else, the players provide plenty of food for thought for LeBron himself.

ARLINGTON, Texas,  JPRNewswire/ — As excitement builds with the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and in advance of the U.S. National team’s opening match against England on June 12, Panini America (www.paniniamerica.net) has launched its marketing efforts to introduce the official 2010 FIFA World Cup Sticker collection for the first time in the United States at major U.S. retailers and online at www.eurosport.com. Panini’s role as the official licensed trading card and sticker collections manufacturer for the FIFA World Cup dates back to the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico and will be sold globally in over 100 countries in 2010.  Released in May, the Panini World Cup sticker and card collections are already well on the way to becoming the World’s biggest collectable program.  With over 250 million packets of stickers and cards put into circulation initially and production running at around 20 million packets a day the scale of the operation will dwarf anything previously witnessed within the industry.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100611/NE19804 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100611/NE19804 )

The official 2010 FIFA World Cup Sticker Album features stickers of the 10 stadiums the World Cup matches will be played in South Africa and all 32 teams competing in this year’s World Cup including Mexico, Spain, England, Brazil, the United States and defending Champion, Italy. Some of the highlights include:

• Each team features 17 players.
• USA team features soccer stars Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley and Tim Howard
• England team features Wayne Rooney and global soccer icon David Beckham, marking what could be the last time David Beckham will appear in a World Cup album as member of the England team
• Brazil team features global soccer star Ronaldinho
• Argentina team features FIFA world Player of the year Messi

After establishing a presence in the U.S. last year, Panini will undertake a concerted distribution and marketing effort in the U.S. under Panini America to promote the FIFA World Cup Sticker/Sticker Album which shattered global sales records during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.  Panini expects to continue that success and capitalize on the excitement of this year’s Tournament and the high expectations for the U.S. National Team.

“Every four years the world gathers for one of the world’s most exciting sporting events, the FIFA World Cup.  For forty years Panini has been a part of that excitement, creating memories for parents and new joy for children as they collect and support their national teams with the official FIFA World Cup Sticker Collection.  The FIFA World Cup sticker collection sells more packets globally than any other collectable, and we are very pleased to bring this excitement to the U.S.,” said Mark Warsop, CEO Panini America, Inc.

As part of the marketing effort, Panini will distribute more than 1.75 million free FIFA World Cup Sticker Album Starter Packs across the country.  The efforts will also include a presence at select MLS soccer games and youth clinics, newspaper insertions in leading Hispanic media including impreMedia and UniVision, the soccer catalog EuroSport and other grassroots sampling.

NEW YORK,  PRNewswire/ — The world’s most popular sporting event, the FIFA World Cup, kicked off today in South Africa and the tournament is expected to elevate the popularity of soccer in the United States to levels never seen before.  To assist journalists in their coverage of the World Cup and the state of soccer in North America, Major League Soccer (MLS) is providing a variety of resources, including a World Cup Speakers Bureau, a digital media kit and staffing in South Africa.

The 15-year-old professional soccer league is represented with 17 of the 23 U.S. World Cup team members who are either current MLS stars or previously played for MLS teams.  In addition, other MLS players will compete for national teams such as Switzerland, Honduras and New Zealand.  L.A. Galaxy midfielder David Beckham will serve as a member of England’s technical staff as an Achilles injury is preventing him from participating for his country.

For the first time in its 15-season history, MLS will not play League games during the group phase of the World Cup.  The group phase, which includes the first 48 games of the 64-game tournament, begins on June 11 and concludes June 25.  The World Cup ends July 11 with the final match in Johannesburg.

Tools provided to journalists to assist with their coverage include:

• Speakers Bureau – MLS has current players and alumni that have competed in multiple World Cups, from Seattle’s Kasey Keller (4 World Cups) to Kansas City’s Jimmy Conrad (played in 1-1 U.S. draw vs. Italy in 2006).  Also, Cape Town native Danleigh Borman of the New York Red Bulls can provide insight into South Africa.  To browse the Speakers Bureau, please CLICK HERE.

• Digital Media Kit – This 26-page digital publication provides information about Major League Soccer, the growth of soccer in North America, as well as current and former MLS players participating in this World Cup.  To view the online brochure, please CLICK HERE.

• South Africa Staff – MLS Director of Communications Will Kuhns is on the ground in South Africa for the month of June and available to assist journalists with interviews and insight.  Kuhns, a former writer for the Washington Post and Soccer America, can be reached at 011-27-835-415-134 in South Africa or will.kuhns@mlsnet.com.

• MLSsoccer.com In-Depth Coverage – A team of journalists based in South Africa and stateside will cover the tournament extensively at www.MLSsoccer.com, the League’s official website.  Spanish content also will be available at www.FutbolMLS.com.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.,PRNewswire/ — DISH Network L.L.C., America’s fastest-growing pay-TV provider, today announced the launch of the first channel dedicated exclusively to coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Only available to DishLATINO customers, the Univision FIFA World Cup™ Channel offers 24 hours of World Cup games and highlights from Univision, plus an exciting new interactive feature, all in Spanish.

The Univision FIFA World Cup™ Channel is an exciting complement to the extensive World Cup programming DISH Network offers in HD exclusively from Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision. The new “all FIFA World Cup™, all the time” channel provides viewers access to Univision recaps, highlights and primetime replays of the most exciting games from the day before. Located on DISH Network Ch. 826, the Univision FIFA World Cup™ Channel also includes an interactive feature that lets viewers vote with their remote on which team they think will win the upcoming game airing on Univision. Once their vote is cast, viewers will be entered into a sweepstakes where they can win an iPad™ each week, as well as a grand prize of a $5,000 home entertainment system, awarded June 12.

“The Univision FIFA World Cup™ Channel, combined with Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision in high definition, offers our DishLATINO customers unprecedented access to the best the World Cup has to offer,” said Dave Shull, senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network. “We’re proud to partner with Univision to deliver more World Cup coverage than any other pay-TV provider in the country.”

“DISH Network understands and is committed to serving the Hispanic community,” said Tonia O’Connor, executive vice president of Distribution Sales and Marketing, Univision Communications Inc. “Since 1978, Univision has brought the World Cup to audiences in the U.S. and this year, the Univision FIFA World Cup™ Channel engages our audience’s passion for ‘futbol’ in a new and exciting way.”

The Univision FIFA World Cup™ Channel is free to all DishLATINO and DishMEXICO customers. In addition, customers who subscribe to DishLATINO Dos or higher can take advantage of DISH Network’s HD Free for Life promotion featuring dozens of the most popular HD channels including Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision. For more information about DishLATINO’s comprehensive World Cup coverage and HD Free for Life, visit www.dishlatino.com or call 1-888-641-3052 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-888-641-3052      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

SHENZHEN, China, PRNewswire-Asia/ — It is absolutely great if you win the latest iPhone 4 while watching World Cup 2010. Here comes a great guess-and-win activity from Wondershare Software for all World Cup fans this football season. Any football fan who guesses the top 3 teams will have a chance to win the big award.

It is known from Wondershare’s World Cup activity page that participants have the chance to win an iPhone 4, iPad and more. You will have a chance to win an iPhone 4 for free only if you speak out the Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists of the final in your heart and guess the right answer. If you want to win an iPad, upload your videos about World Cup, no matter of previous years or 2010, to Wondershare Facebook page and you will have a chance to get it for free.

Additionally, everyone can get a Wondershare coupon for one year’s expiration only if joining the activity. With the coupon, you can get any software from Wondershare for $5 off.