Juan Carlos Rodriguez is the President of Sports at Univision Communications Inc., the leading Hispanic media company in the U.S.
Rodriguez has positioned Univision as the Home of Soccer in the U.S. with the acquisition of exclusive Spanish-language media rights to some of the most important properties and tournaments in the sport, including 16 Liga MX clubs, UEFA Champions League and Europa League, the U.S. and Mexican national teams, Major League Soccer, UEFA national team competitions, the Concacaf Gold Cup, Concacaf Champions League and Bundesliga. Additionally, he has secured agreements with the FIA Formula One World Championship and Hispanic MMA franchise Combate Americas.
Under Rodriguez’ guidance, Univision Deportes Network (UDN) has become the country’s most-watched Spanish-language sports network in the country in just seven years and is consistently among the top five most-watched sports networks in the country, regardless of language. He has invested in a renowned talent roster, state-of-the-art broadcast facilities and cutting-edge production technology, including remote sports production capabilities.
Rodriguez has been named one of the “31 Most Powerful People in U.S. Soccer” by FourFourTwo and has twice appeared on Sports Business Journal’s annual list of the “50 Most Influential” individuals in the sports industry. He has been recognized numerous times on Cablefax’s “Cablefax 100” and “Most Influential Minorities in Cable” lists, and was the recipient of Cynopsis Sports’ 2015 Navigator Award. He has also been included among Sports Illustrated’s “30 Most Influential Hispanics in Sports.”
Under his direction, Univision Deportes has garnered five Sports Emmy Awards for excellence in sports coverage and, most recently, a Cynopsis TV Award for “Best Ad-Supported Cable Network” and the NATAS Chairman’s Award for its leadership in the natural disaster relief effort “Unidos por los Nuestros”.
Rodriguez is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at IPADE Business School and holds a bachelor’s degree from Universidad Iberoamericana. In 2016, Rodriguez completed Wharton’s Advanced Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania, an exclusive and selective program for senior leaders and executives. He is founder of Con Pelotas, A.C., a non-profit organization that provides soccer balls to children in southern Mexico. He is a member of the FIFA’s Organizing Committee for Competitions and the Panamerican Sports Organization’s Marketing and TV Commission.
