Netflix has dabbled in the waters of live sports broadcasts for a few years now, slowly expanding its reach from one-off events to a steady schedule of a few NFL games per year.
Next summer, the streamer will play host to its biggest sporting event yet as the exclusive broadcaster of the 2027 Women’s World Cup in the United States and Mexico. According to a story from Alex Weprin at The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix is looking to land a big name in the booth for its Spanish broadcasts.
Weprin writes that Netflix is “circling Andrés Cantor to provide Spanish-language coverage of the event.” Cantor has most recently been the Spanish voice of soccer at Telemundo, a part of the NBCUniversal umbrella, but THR says his contract there is set to end in the coming weeks, making him a free agent.
Cantor is one of the most famous broadcasters in all of sports. Even viewers that don’t speak his language know his iconic, elongated “¡goooooooooooooooooooool!” call (with more “Os” always ready to be added depending on how spectacular the goal was).
According to Weprin, Cantor’s deal with Netflix could come together pretty quickly, as he is set to have a role in the World Cup draw, which the streamer will air in December.
Securing Cantor’s services would go a long way in bringing both stability and credibility to Netflix’s broadcast. This is a big swing — a tournament that goes on for weeks and features multiple games each day is a far different broadcasting challenge than a one-off NFL game on a holiday or MLB event — and people are still getting used to Netflix being a destination for live sports.
Having Cantor in the booth would be akin to Netflix securing the likes of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman for its football broadcasts. Their voices carry their own authority with an audience. When you hear them, you know you’re watching a big game.
As THR notes, the deal between Cantor and Netflix might not be for long, as the rights to future World Cups are still on the auction block. Regardless of which network or streamer ultimately wins out on the bidding process, Cantor likely would want to ensure that he was once again a free agent when the tournament came back around.
About Tyler Lauletta
Tyler is a editorial contributor at Awful Announcing, with previous stops at Sports Illustrated and Business Insider during his career covering sports in digital media. He is, begrudgingly, a Truster of the Process and general Philly sports sicko.