World Cup to debut on Vcast

One of the biggest drivers of mobile video in other regions of the world is now making its way to the states. Soccer--or football, as it is known everywhere else--is landing on the Verizon Wireless deck as the carrier has extended its agreement with Univision to air video clips, recaps and commentary of all 64 games of the FIFA World Cup in Germany over the Vcast 3G service.

There's a catch though: it's all in Spanish. Soccer doesn't have the mainstream appeal of more homegrown sports like baseball, basketball and American football. But the large Hispanic population in the U.S. has always been a hot market for soccer, and Verizon Wireless is planning to capitalize on the sport's popularity among those demographic groups to build on its growing Spanish-language services.

Last May, Verizon Wireless launched a Spanish-language version of its Get It Now BREW-based download portal, with specific content from Univision and Telemundo as well as its usual tones, games and graphics presented in Spanish. In October, the carrier went beyond a mere retooling of its portal to sponsoring cross-promotional contests and content with its Spanish TV partners, including its first Vcast video clips in Spanish, featuring "Estrellas del Futuro/Reggaetón," a Univision reality contest similar to American Idol.