FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State's Sept. 9 home opener against Eastern Washington will make history as the first exclusively Spanish-language television broadcast in FBS college football history. In partnership with Univision Fresno and Bakersfield, the game will be broadcast on UniMás throughout the Central Valley, and it will be the first American college football game to air on a Univision channel.
The broadcast will feature six-time Emmy Award winning sportscaster Jessi Losada as the play-by-play announcer. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on Sept. 9.
"This is a historic partnership for our university and our athletics department, as it aligns perfectly with our strategic priorities," said Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. "Univision's reach and impact in our region is unparallelled and our collaboration enables us to build a solid pathway for our youth in our Valley to engage with Fresno State, now and in the future."
Fresno is the ninth most diverse city in the nation, with a Hispanic population of nearly 60%. Fresno State is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, with an enrollment of 57% Hispanic students.
"We are proud to celebrate our partnership with Fresno State, and the start of Hispanic Heritage month, with this historic and first-of-its-kind broadcast," said Jose Elgorriaga, Vice President and Director of Sales for Northern California. "The Hispanic market is vital to our Valley and so important for Fresno State now and in the future. We are proud to help facilitate even greater engagement between our audience and our Valley's university, Fresno State."
UniMás can be found in the Fresno-Visalia DMA on digital channel 23 and virtual channel 61, and in the Bakersfield DMA on digital channel 31. It is also available on YouTubeTV, fuboTV, DirecTV, and Dish Network on channel 271. UniMás can also be streamed at tv.univision.com or via the Univision Now app.
"As the lone FBS institution in California's Central Valley, it is incredibly important to our efforts to continually engage with and grow the Red Wave from Sacramento to Bakersfield, and of course right here in Fresno County," said Director of Athletics Terry Tumey. "With the majority of the demographic make up of the Central Valley population being proudly Hispanic, this is a partnership that aligns perfectly with our fan engagement priorities and we are grateful for the on-going support from the Univision network as we both create history in this space."
Tuesday's announcement marks the final game to be picked up for a televised broadcast in the Bulldogs' 2023 schedule, with the other 11 games slotted for national broadcasts.
Fans seeking an English-language broadcast can stream the game via the Mountain West Network, which will incorporate the radio broadcast from the Bulldog Sports Network, featuring Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill, and Cam Worrell. Fans can also utilize LEARFIELD's Varsity Network app to sync the Bulldog Sports Network radio broadcast with the UniMás television broadcast. More information can be found at learfield.com/sync-my-game/.
"We are excited to represent Fresno State Athletics in this historic endeavor," said LEARFIELD general manager Zachary Fraser. "One of our objectives is to deliver memorable experiences that represent our community, our student-athletes, and the department we proudly serve. Our partnership with the team at Univision to make this broadcast a reality allows us to meet that objective."
While the television broadcast will be historic, the in-venue experience will be equally special as Fresno State hosts its annual Heroes Night game, celebrating all active duty military and veterans, first responders, and other heroes throughout the Central Valley. The contest will also feature a historic halftime ceremony as Jim Sweeney is posthumously inducted into the Ring of Honor. All fans are encouraged to wear white to the game that evening.
Fresno State will enter the 2023 season as the defending Mountain West Champions and riding a winning streak of nine games, the third-longest active winning streak in the FBS.
Head coach Jeff Tedford enters his second season back leading the Bulldogs, as he returned to the program in 2021 after leading the group from 2017-19. In four seasons as head coach at Fresno State, Tedford has led the program to two Mountain West championship titles, three MW West Division titles, three bowl game victories, two Top 25 finishes and three 10-win seasons.
Fresno State football single game tickets are on sale now and season tickets remain available. Visit gobulldogs.com/tickets to purchase or for more information.