Our Favorite Universo Streaming Services That Don’t Need Cable

As someone who watches Spanish-language television, I find Universo to be the most essential channel available. With its diverse programming that spans general entertainment and sports, it meets all my viewing needs as a Spanish speaker.

They will stream the 2023 NFL Playoffs with Spanish comments! Find below the schedule.

In a hurry? Universo is available from all the top live TV streaming services. These are our favorites:

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Universo is a Spanish-language general interest channel that also features coverage of significant sports events, including World Cups, Olympics, Super Bowls, and the Premier League.

The channel is owned by NBC Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is partially why it has the rights to show events such as those. The only ones on that list that NBCUniversal does not also own the English-language rights to are the World Cups (Fox does).

Meanwhile, its non-sports programming generally consists of movies, series, and music aimed at Hispanic adults. Some is shown in its original English-language version with Spanish subtitles added, including shows that originally aired on other NBCUniversal stations.

Cord cutters who want to watch Universo on their devices have several options to choose from. Below, we discuss them all.

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What Is Universo?

Universo has been bringing mostly Spanish-language programming to US-based audiences since its launch in 1993 as GEMS Television. At that time, its programming was mostly focused on a female viewing audience.

Eight years later, its name was changed to mun2, partially because it was then owned by Telemundo and partially because “mun2” represented the two worlds that many Latino Americans feel that they are a part of.

In 2015, that name was changed once again to NBC Universo. This was done on Feb 1 of that year, the day that the channel shared broadcasting duties of Super Bowl XLIX with NBC.

Although the use of “NBC” in its name was done to show NBC’s commitment to Spanish-language programming, it was removed just two years later, and this network has simply been known as Universo ever since. However, NBC’s famous peacock remains part of Universo’s logo.

What Shows Can You Find on Universo?

Universo’s most popular original shows tend to figure singers. Here is a list of four of those.

• I Love Jenni: Featured singer Jenni Rivera. It premiered on Universo in 2011 and became arguably the network’s most popular show, culminating with especially high ratings during its third and final season, which was broadcast a few months after she died in a plane crash. I Love Jenni reruns are regularly shown.
• The Riveras: A spin-off of I Love Jenni. It features Rivera’s five children as they look to honor their mother’s legacy while pursuing their dreams. This series was originally shown on Universo from 2016-19.
• El Vato: Another Universo-produced show that focuses on a singer, El Dasa in this case. It is a biographical series that features the singer playing himself as he attempts to succeed in Los Angeles’ music industry. It was initially broadcast from 2016-17, and reruns are periodically shown on Universo.
• Larrymania: Features Larry Hernandez, a singer starring in this reality television program, which portrays him doing his best to balance procuring a successful musical career with handling his family life. It premiered in 2012, and its last episode to date aired in 2020, although the series has not been canceled.

Most of Universo’s non-sports programming, however, has been acquired from other networks. This is a mixture of Spanish-language shows from channels such as Telemundo and English-language shows from channels such as USA and Syfy that include Spanish dubbing. Examples of the latter include The Walking Dead and Prison Break.

Watch Sports in Spanish With Universo

Universo has been the Spanish-language home of the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup since the 2015 edition of the latter competition. During the 2019 Women’s World Cup, this network offered live coverage of 24 matches, including two quarterfinals and three Round of 16 contests.

Numerous World Cup qualifying matches are shown on Universo as well. For example, during the March 2022 international break, Universo showed many qualifiers from the CONCACAF region, such as Costa Rica vs Canada, Canada against Jamaica, Honduras playing host to Mexico, and Costa Rica taking on the US.

It also carries several soccer matches from the Olympics. For the 2020 Games, which were contested in 2021, this coverage included the broadcasting of a semifinal and the gold medal match on the women’s side and the bronze medal contest in the men’s competition.

However, Universo’s bread and butter as far as sports programming is concerned is its coverage of the Premier League. This consists of live broadcasting of approximately two matches every weekend of the season. But that number can increase noticeably. For example, four Premier League matchups were shown on Universo during the opening weekend of the 2021-22 campaign.

But it is not just soccer that Universo features. It regularly shows NFL games, most notably Sunday Night Football contests, and it broadcast Super Bowl XLIX on Feb 1, 2015, Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018, and Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13, 2022.

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How to Stream Universo

Are you looking to stream Universo without a cable or satellite provider? If yes, you will be pleased to learn that you have several options that you can choose from to start streaming this channel.

• FuboTV: Universo is included in this streaming service’s base plan ($79.99/month). With it, you will also receive channels such as Univision, UniMas, beIN Sports en Espanol, TUDN, beIN Sports, ESPN, and ESPN2. All plans come with at least unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on up to 10 devices at once. (FuboTV review)
• Sling TV: Universo is a channel in Sling TV’s Best of Spanish TV ($10/mo), which consists of more than 20 channels, also including beIN Sports en Espanol and TV Azteca. You also get Sling TV’s Blue plan ($40.00/month) and purchase the nearly identical Best of Spanish TV channels add-on at half-price ($5/mo). The Sling Blue plan comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 3 devices. (Sling TV Latino review)
• DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV): Universo is included with DIRECTV STREAM’s Ultimate plan ($129.99/month). Also available in that are channels such as Univision, UniMas, Galavision, and TUDN. In addition, you could instead get Universo as an add-on channel connected with its Entertainment plan ($86.99/month) or its Choice plan ($114.99/month). All plans come with unlimited DVR (online orders only) and streaming on unlimited devices. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
• Hulu + Live TV: Universo is not included for Hulu + Live TV’s subscribers base plan ($82.99/month). This does include 85+ live channels along with ESPN+ and Disney+. To get Universo, you need to get its Espanol add-on ($4.99/mo). The base plan comes with unlimited cloud DVR (9 month storage) and simultaneous streaming on up to 2 devices. (Hulu + Live TV review)
• YouTube TV: Universo is one of the channels in YouTube TV’s base plan ($72.99/month). Others included in that are Univision, UniMas, Galavision, and NFL Network.

Devices to Live Stream Universo

Universo online can be streamed on a diverse range of streaming devices. All the services we discussed above support the following:

All the services (except DIRECTV STREAM) support Android TV compatible, LG, and VIZIO smart TVs as well as Xbox gaming systems. Hulu and YouTube support the PlayStation.

DIRECTV STREAM has its own voice-activated streaming device that you can get directly from them.

Wrapping Up

Universo is one of the more easily accessible channels for those looking to watch it through a streaming service. Your cheapest option is Sling TV’s Best of Spanish TV plan ($10/mo) while getting DIRECTV STREAM’s Ultimate plan ($129.99/month), a more pricey choice, may end up being your preference after taking everything else into account, such as the other channels and features offered.

FAQs

What NFL Playoffs games can I watch on Universo?

This Wild Card matchup is confirmed for Universo:

• Sat Jan 14 8:15 pm: Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars (Universo)

Find out how to watch all NFL playoffs in this article, where we go into detail.

• NFL Playoffs
  • VPN Viewing
  • Spanish Viewing
• Super Wild Card Weekend
• Divisional Round
• AFC Championship Game
• NFC Championship Game
• Super Bowl
  • Halftime Show
  • Canada Viewing
  • Replay.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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