Univision to end free streaming of World Cup games

Many people in the US, even those who don't speak or understand Spanish, have been using the Univision Deportes app to watch the World Cup. To a certain degree, this was due to the fact that Univision's service was completely free for anyone to enjoy, meaning it didn't require any authentication through a cable or internet service provider. Unfortunately, that's all changing as of tomorrow. Starting with the Quarter-Finals, which kick off on July 4th, Univision is set to begin requiring a cable login (from a participating provider) to stream matches leading up to the Final -- something WatchESPN has done since the beginning of the tournament.

"We wanted to let the millions of soccer fans experience the World Cup and get familiar with our great coverage on the Univision Deportes app, while informing them of the benefits of TV Everywhere included as part of their pay-TV subscription," an Univision spokesperson told Engadget about the decision to give open access up to the Round of 16.

Something tells us there's going to be a good number of folks disappointed, but it was still a nice gesture for the network to allow cord-cutters to watch over 50 live games at no cost. For pay-TV subscribers, meanwhile, the Univision Deportes app will continue to function as normal.

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