ONE World Sports launches ‘Originals’ unit with Cosmos documentary

STAMFORD, CONN. (via ONE World Sports) — ONE World Sports has created a new unit named ONE World Sports Originals, which is dedicated to the development of original content to augment the network’s growing catalogue of live sports programming from around the world.

“A Bridge to Cuba: Celebrating Cuba v Cosmos,” a documentary chronicling the New York Cosmos soccer team’s historic June trip to Cuba, is the unit’s first original production.

“With ONE World Sports offering more than 3,100 hours annually of live sports, our viewers are drawn to the stories and the personalities who appear on our screen,” said Joel Feld, ONE World Sports executive vice president, programming and production. “ONE World Sports Originals will showcase global sports initiatives in both short and long form, for linear and digital distribution, that resonate with our viewers and further meet the interests of those who want the story behind the live action.”

The iconic New York Cosmos traveled to Havana for a friendly against the Cuban National Soccer Team. The Cosmos defeated the Cuban team 4-1 but the outcome was secondary to the historic nature of the visit. ONE World Sports accompanied the Cosmos, the first U.S. sports team to visit Cuba since President Obama announced steps toward full diplomacy, to telecast this momentous match as well as create a memoir of two nations moving forward together. U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations were restored on July 20, a first since 1961, with both countries’ Interest Sections officially becoming embassies. In addition, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to travel to Havana on August 14, making him the first secretary of state to visit the island since 1945, to raise the American flag over the U.S. embassy there.

“ONE World Sports’ inaugural documentary, ‘A Bridge to Cuba: Celebrating Cuba v Cosmos,’ explores the significance of this historic match and its potential implications for the future,” said Barry Fitzsimmons, ONE World Sports creative director and the documentary’s producer. “The narrative of the story will unfold through the thoughts and emotions of those who experienced it firsthand, including players, coaches and the Cuban people, while showing the sights and sounds of a soccer ‘friendly’ against the backdrop of a city that appears frozen in time. Dating back to the club’s inception, the Cosmos have earned a reputation as global ambassadors; with this match, they actually played that role.”

The trailer for “A Bridge to Cuba: Celebrating Cuba v Cosmos” premiered last night during NASL Wednesday Night Soccer on ONE World Sports featuring the New York Cosmos v Minnesota United FC. The documentary is slated for release in late fall.