Registration for the tournament opens next week, with the qualifiers kicking off in January 2021. Esports company Gfinity has been appointed as the tournament operator for the third season of the ePremier League (ePL). Gfinity has operated both previous tournaments, which gives UK-based players the opportunity to win the ePL title for their favourite club […]
Author archives: Jake Bickerton
LIVEnow picks up global rights for inaugural Lanka Premier League cricket
The tournament will be shown globally by LIVEnow, although not in the UK and Ireland where the rights are held by Sky Sports. Streaming platform LIVEnow has picked up the exclusive rights in 111 countries to air the Lanka Premier League – Sri Lanka’s new domestic cricket T20 league. The tournament started yesterday, with five […]
DAZN launches original football entertainment series Yabecchi Stadium
The production is part of a move to increase the amount of original content on DAZN. DAZN is launching J.League football entertainment series, Yabecchi Stadium on its OTT service in Japan. The series is part of a move by DAZN to increase the amount of original content on its platforms. Yabecchi Stadium goes to air […]
Stats Perform to provide Women’s Tennis Association with data-driven insights
The partnership will dramatically enhance the live insight available across broadcast, second screen and betting experiences. Stats Perform is to work with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) as its official data partner. It will deliver multiple feeds to broadcasters and digital platforms, including an exclusive umpire-derived data feed for an expanded number of WTA matches. […]
Amazon Prime to air 22 live Premier League matches during December
The streaming service will show live Premier League matches on 15,16 and 28 December. Amazon Prime Video has revealed its schedule of Premier League matches for December 2020, following its well-received broadcast of Premier League games in December 2019, and a scattering of matches during lockdown this year. During December 2020, Amazon Prime Video with […]
Stats Perform and NativeWaves enhance second screen viewing experience
The companies have teamed up to create a highly personalised second screen platform that broadcasters can roll out to sports fans. Stats Perform has partnered with low-latency streaming specialist NativeWaves to launch an enhanced ‘second screen’ viewing experience for mobile devices. The platform makes it possible for sports fans to create a personalised viewer experience, […]
Amazon Prime launches diversity in rugby documentary Everybody’s Game
The documentary tackles the issues of race and class within the sport. Amazon Prime Video is releasing rugby union documentary Everybody’s Game, by Bath Rugby player, Beno Obano. The documentary includes contributions from professional rugby players Maro Itoje, Anthony Watson, Ellis Genge and Biyi Alo, and focuses on the backgrounds of BAME players within rugby […]
Sports graphics platform Piero upgraded to offer greater insight
Piero uses image recognition and state-of-the-art graphic overlays to augment sports content. Ross has updated its sports graphics analysis platform Piero with a series of feature enhancements – including a new ‘Down and Distance’ feature for American Football (pictured above) – and additional support for 4K UHD and HDR workflows. The new features in the […]
BT Sport kicks off Gallagher Premiership rugby coverage
Every match will be shown live on BT Sport. BT Sport is to show all Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches live when the new season starts tomorrow (20 November). Six games per weekend will be shown live across BT Sport’s TV channels, app and website (btsport.com), and then, once crowds can safely return to stadia, the […]
Whisper recruits Stuart Cope as director of digital and social
He will help lead the sports producer’s multi-platform content for clients such as the FA, ECB and Channel 4’s F1. Whisper has taken on Stuart Cope as director of digital and social. He previously led digital and social content for ATP Tour and Indian Premier League club, The Rajasthan Royals, and has held roles at […]
COMMENT: How esports is leading broadcast innovation amid Covid-19
Nicolas Estrup, director of product and experience at esports organisation Blast on the pioneering ways esports tournaments have used tech to create content during the pandemic. 2020 has been a turbulent year for everyone, none more so than the sports and entertainment world that has been impacted heavily by the limitations surrounding Covid-19. Esports has […]
Premier League ditches controversial pay-per-view model
All the games that were planned for pay-per-view will now be distributed between Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime and BBC Sport. The Premier League has scrapped its controversial move to pay-per-view. In a statement, it said, from Saturday 21 November and throughout Christmas and the new year period, “all fixtures will be made available […]
SailGP reveals 146,000 players took part in its esports format eSailGP
The esports version of SailGP proved popular at a time when the real-life races are on hold. SailGP has revealed some user engagement stats about its first eSailGP esports season. More than 146,000 unique players participated, and 55,783 individual races took place. The series, which launched at the end of last year, in partnership with […]
Rakuten TV unveils Davis Cup, which will go free-to-air on 26 November
The documentary focuses on last year’s tournament, when Spain triumphed over Canada. Rakuten TV has unveiled a documentary about the biggest international team competition in tennis, the Davis Cup. The film, Break Point: A Davis Cup Story, has been produced by Kosmos Studios with the participation of players including Rafa Nadal, Roberto Bautista, Andrey Rublev […]
Sky Sports to show 30 live British Basketball League matches a season
Sky Sports picks up a two-year deal to show the highest level of professional basketball in the country. Sky Sports will show 30 live British Basketball League (BBL) matches a season, including the BBL Trophy Final, BBL Cup Final and the BBL Playoffs. It comes after the broadcaster secured a two-year agreement with the league. […]
Eurosport reveals a 68% increase in viewers for cycling Grand Tours
The broadcaster reports a significant rise in viewing figures during the pandemic. Eurosport has reported major growth in viewing figures for its cycling coverage of this year’s Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and La Vuelta. Number of viewers was up 48% for its live coverage of the Tour de France, compared to last year, while […]
Multiviewer added to cloud-based live production platform, Grabyo Producer
The multiviewer enables directors to monitor multiple camera feeds and sources from a web browser, without requiring on-premise equipment. Cloud-production platform Grabyo has added a multiviewer to enable operators to manage multiple camera feeds and sources from a web browser with no on-premise equipment. The multi-viewer is the first in a series of planned upgrades […]
RugbyPass reveals plans for rugby content platform, The XV
Rugby editorial site will host 600 articles a year about the sport, as well as podcasts and video content. RugbyPass has released some stats around engagement levels in its new online rugby magazine – The XV, which launched in September. The XV is a subscription-based platform that offers rugby fans a host of editorial content, […]
Eleven Sports plans global launch after acquiring MyCujoo
Sports streamer purchases non-elite football OTT platform, which becomes part of a new global streaming platform. Eleven Sports has acquired non-elite football live streaming platform MyCujoo. MyCujoo was launched in 2015 by co-founders Pedro and João Presa, making it possible for football federations, leagues, clubs and players to showcase their games live to a global […]
BLOG: Will Carling talks stats for the 2020 Guinness Six Nations championship
The best things come to those who wait. We’ve been waiting a long time for this; the finale of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations Championship. And it didn’t disappoint. In a final round of fixtures that could have seen England, France, Scotland or Ireland emerge victorious, it offered a nail-biting finish to a competition that […]
Extreme E picked up by Virgin Media Television in Ireland
The broadcaster will air all the live Extreme E races as well as a range of highlights programmes. Virgin Media Television has picked up the rights to broadcast electric off-road SUV racing series Extreme E in Ireland. The five-event Season 1 race calendar for Extreme E is scheduled to begin in March 2021. Races take […]
Jonty Whitehead named president of Sport Buff
The appointment comes at a time of growth for the real-time fan engagement company. Real-time fan engagement specialist Sport Buff has appointed former head of sport for beIN Media, Jonty Whitehead as president of the company. Whitehead, who previously also held production roles at Fox Sports and Sky Sports, will lead Sport Buff’s adoption across […]
Register now for free-to-attend Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020
The two-day event (11th – 12th November) is free-to-attend and will take place on virtual conferencing platform Hopin. Broadcast Sport is launching its third annual Sport Tech Innovation Forum, bringing together industry leaders to talk about the ever-evolving world of sport production and broadcast. Registration for the free-to-attend two-day Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum is […]
Broadcast Sport magazine (Winter 2020) – free digital edition
The issue includes features on sports docs, virtual fans, teleporting athletes, Watch Together apps, diversity in sports production and lots more. Issue #6 of Broadcast Sport magazine (Winter 2020) is out now. The magazine was paused after our previous issue came out at the beginning of March 2020 just before lockdown hit the country. This […]
Premier League schedule (2-30 November 2020)
Which broadcaster is showing which games in November, and which are going pay-per-view. Elite sports including The Premier League are unaffected by the country-wide lockdown beginning on Thursday this week (5 November). What also appears to remain unaffected is the controversial introduction of Premier League matches as pay-per-view, through Sky Sports Box Office and BT […]
Eurosport extends rights deal to air FIM Motocross World Championship
The deal follows Eurosport Events announcing a long-term partnership with the FIM to promote its events. Eurosport and Infront Moto Racing have extended their agreement to screen the FIM Motocross World Championship for a further three seasons (2020-22). All Motocross GP and MX2 races will be shown live on Eurosport and the Eurosport app. Meanwhile, […]
UEFA teams with TVU Networks for live Champions League Draws
The setup created by TVU enabled football clubs to take part in the events from their home locations. The UEFA Champions League and Europa League Final 8 Draw were remotely produced for the first time this year. The Champions League Group Stage Draw and awards ceremony were also produced remotely. UEFA brought in TVU Networks […]
Major survey reveals true global appeal of the Premier League
Chile and Columbia are the biggest international markets for the league. A major international study on viewing trends among 14,000 sports fans in 10 countries across Europe, North and Latin America has revealed a range of insights into how people view the English Premier League. The 2020 Global Sports and News Survey, from strategy consulting […]
FreeSports to air Friday night Karate Combat bouts
The fighting format pitches karate champions against each other in a series of virtual worlds. Premier Media Broadcasting has picked up the rights to season two of Karate Combat, a format that places real fighters in virtual environments. The broadcaster will air weekly Friday night Karate Combat fights on free-to-air channel FreeSports, with bouts held […]
Anthony Joshua launches sports content company SBX Studios
The boxer has teamed up with PR company SoapBox London (which also represents Joshua) to create the production house. PICTURED (L-R): Freddie Cunningham, Andy Bell, Anthony Joshua, Rowan Wilkinson Anthony Joshua has teamed up with sports PR and content specialist SoapBox London to launch content studio and production house, SBX Studios. SBX Studios will develop […]
LaLiga to launch on Twitch with exclusive content for the platform
The league becomes the first in Europe to establish itself on the Amazon-owned live streaming platform. LaLiga is to create original programming and content exclusively for Twitch, through a new official LaLiga account. The Spanish league is planning a new weekly series of compilations, clips and special programmes featuring LaLiga players, LaLiga Ambassadors and LaLiga […]
Austrian Football Association launches OTT service, ÖFB TV
The D2C service will provide a one-stop-shop to all Austrian football content. The Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) has launched an OTT platform hosting live and on demand streaming of every level of Austrian football. ÖFB TV has been built and is operated by StreamAMG and provides ‘comprehensive’ access to the men’s, women’s and youth game […]
British Touring Cars Championship joins Motorsport.tv
The organisation’s channel will host archive-heavy content. The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) has joined OTT platform Motorsport.tv. BTCC is planning to use Motorsport.tv owner Motorsport Network’s production and distribution service Motorsport Studios to create content for its Motorsport.tv channel. The content will be based around its extensive archive of BTCC videos and images. BTCC […]
INTERVIEW: Duane Jones, Renowned – Blending the old and new
Having started his career in music radio, Renowned Films’ Duane Jones is making a name for himself with a new take on the sports documentary. Interview by Jake Bickerton. You’d be hard pushed to find a production company boss with a CV quite as tantalising as Renowned Films co-founder and commercial director Duane Jones. His […]
Hereford FC installs multicam HD production facilities to live stream home games
The facilities are being crewed and managed by CJP Broadcast. Hereford Football Club has invested in multi-camera HD live production facilities to enable it to stream home league fixtures direct to fans. The club brought in CJP Broadcast to provide it with the production system, crewing, and streaming platform. The system at Hereford is based […]
LaLiga unveils VIP ‘watch together’ parties with LaLiga legends
The events make use of LiveLike’s Watch Together platform. LaLiga is launching a series of five watch parties, each hosted by a LaLiga legend. The first of these will be during the El Clasico on 25 October, when a ‘select group’ of fans will be invited to join. The watch together experience is being enabled […]
Goodwood to live stream SpeedWeek innovations online and on ITV
Extensive broadcast facility created on location to enable series of ambitious streams to viewers at home. Goodwood has been wired with more than 12 miles of cabling with 180 TV crew members on location, 49 cameras and two TV studios, as it gears up for SpeedWeek (16-18 October 2020). With Covid-19 lockdowns restricting people visiting […]
Whisper opens in New Zealand
The production company sets up office after winning a contract to cover cricket in the country. Whisper has set up an office in New Zealand, headed by Tracy Wong, which will focus on the production of New Zealand Cricket games. The office is Whisper’s fourth and its first outside of the UK. Its other offices […]
Rakuten to air 70min version of Zambian National Football Team doc
Award-winning doc to be shown on free-to-air strand, Rakuten Stories. Rakuten TV is to air an extended version of Eighteam, a documentary telling the story of the Zambian National Football Team’s 18-year road to recovery, following the death of 18 members of the team in a plane crash in 1993, to winning the Africa Cup […]
Eurosport to air Ronnie O’Sullivan World Championship doc
The one-hour production looks back on O’Sullivan’s highs during his six World Championship titles. Eurosport has produced an hour-long documentary that relives each of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s six World Championship titles, dating back to his first win in 2001. Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Joy of Six airs on Friday (16 October) on Eurosport 1 and the Eurosport […]
COMMENT: Infosys on The Virtual Future of Tennis at Roland-Garros
Navin Rammohan, vice president, Infosys on the new graphics-based real-time insights the company brought to Roland-Garros this year Empowerment is not just about bringing you closer to a sport, but making you feel like you are one with the game. When this happens, an experience goes from being something that you use to something that […]
Documentary to cover Arsène Wenger’s ‘Invincible’ team of 2003/4
The film will be released next year. Noah Media Group and Paris-based producers Federation Entertainment are releasing a feature-length English-French documentary, Arsène Wenger: Invincible. The production is co-directed by Noah’s Gabriel Clarke (Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager; Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans,) and sports journalist Christian Jeanpierre. It focuses on Wenger’s ‘Invincible’ […]
‘Non-televised’ Premier League games in October to go pay-per-view on Sky Sports
Each match will cost £14.95 via Sky Sports Box Office. All ‘non-televised’ Premier League games in October are to be shown via pay-per-view rather than being distributed to multiple broadcasters, as happened last season. Each match will cost £14.95 via Sky Sports Box Office, channel 491 on the Sky box. They will also be available […]
Aurora and North One reveal innovative plans for Extreme E
Producers to create 30+ hours of live race coverage; a 20-part TV series; and 300 short films about Extreme E. Extreme E is partnering with All3Media sports production companies Aurora Media and North One, in a multi-season deal to cover the sport for TV. Extreme E uses electric SUVs to race in five remote race […]
Sunday’s Premier League goalfest helps Sky Sports reach record ratings
Sky Sports’ viewing figures peaked at 3.3m (25% share) at 4:55pm on Sunday. Sunday’s extraordinary Premier League matches – with Tottenham Hotspur thrashing Manchester United 6-1 and Aston Villa shocking Liverpool with an emphatic 7-2 win – helped Sky Sports notch up its “best ever day of viewing” across the network. It averaged 933,000 viewers […]
Premier League TV schedule (17 Oct – 2 Nov 2020)
Where to watch the Premier League fixtures for the rest of October. The Premier League takes a back seat for the internationals this weekend. Here’s the TV schedule for when it returns on Saturday 17 October, and throughout the rest of October. Sky Sports has the broadcast rights for 12 of the 15 matches listed […]
Dugout reveals 700% increase in interest in its women’s football content
The global increase in interest in women’s football is reflected in Dugout’s stats for the last 12 months. Football content provider Dugout has revealed it’s seen a 700% increase in ‘engagement’ in women’s football content over the last year. Dugout hosts footage from a range of women’s teams, including Arsenal Women Football Club; Manchester City […]
Eurosport to run month-long digital series celebrating black athletes
The series will run throughout October, during Black History Month. Eurosport and Team GB are partnering to mark Black History Month during October with a month-long digital series to celebrate black athletes past and present. The series focuses on the Olympic games and includes 31 memorable moments from the Olympic Summer Games that acknowledge the […]
IMG Replay to digitise and market Frank Warren Boxing archive
Extensive boxing library is being made available through searchable online archive, IMG Replay. Archive library IMG Replay is to digitise and market Frank Warren Boxing’s archive of more than 2,000 fights dating back over 110 years. The archive includes Frank Bruno’s world heavyweight title win over Oliver McCall; Joe Calzaghe’s triumph over Mikel Kessler at […]
LaLiga to open futuristic, interactive sports bars
The first venue will be open at the beginning of next year. LaLiga is launching a number of sports bars to promote the league and its clubs around the world. The venues – LaLiga TwentyNine’s – combine food, entertainment, football and other sports in an interactive environment. Each of the bars will include a multipurpose […]
Where to watch the Premier League this weekend (3-4 October 2020)
The TV schedule for this weekend’s Premier League football fixtures. Here’s our weekly round-up of which broadcasters are showing the weekend’s Premier League games. The 3pm blackout remains cancelled, allowing all matches to continue to be shown on TV. Premier League 2020/21 fixtures Saturday 3 October Chelsea v Crystal Palace (12:30pm) BT Sport Everton v […]
International rights for Lega Basket Serie A basketball to be sold online
The rights will open for bidders this week. The international broadcast rights for 380 live Lega Basket Serie A basketball games per season go live on sports media rights trading platform Content Arena this week. Information about the rights offering will be available on www.contentarena.com, where broadcasters will also be able to bid directly for […]
Timeline unveils UHD3 truck, commissioned for UEFA Euro 2020
The vehicle is another in Timeline’s fleet of all-IP, 4K UHD HDR capable OB trucks. Timeline Television has unveiled the UHD3 double-expanding outside broadcast truck. It was originally commissioned for the BBC’s coverage of the UEFA Euro 2020. With the event postponed until next year, the UHD3’s first major outing will be for FA Women’s […]
AI-driven insights unveiled for Roland-Garros app and website
Tennis fans are being offered in-depth analysis of live games, created by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) has added some AI-powered analytics to the Roland-Garros tournament, which are available through the Roland-Garros app and in the Infosys Match Centre on RolandGarros.com. The insights, created by AI specialist Infosys, “enhance the tournament […]
Euro Media Group rolls out Nova 103 truck for UEFA Super Cup
It’s the UHD/HDR truck’s first outing outside of France. Euro Media Group’s UHD/HDR truck, Nova 103, was commissioned for its first venture outside France, where it was part of the company’s host broadcast facilities for the UEFA Super Cup in Budapest on 24 September. The Nova 103 is one of a pair of triple-extension trucks […]
Formula E boss launches World’s first electric powerboat championship
The tournament was revealed earlier today at a press event in Monaco. The world’s first electric powerboat championship – the UIM E1 World Electric Powerboat Series – was launched today at the Monaco Yacht Club. The plan is for it to be a global series, held on seas and lakes, and it will aim to […]
Ex-Leicester City player behind social media project The Wave House
Agency co-created by Jidé Maduako creates format to house six social media influencers for six months in what he describes as an environment akin to a “professional sports academy”. Yoke Network, the influencer marketing agency created by former Leicester City footballer Jidé Maduako has created The Wave House – what sounds like a Big Brother […]
Audi launches channel on OTT service Motorsport.tv
The channel will include behind-the-scenes content from this weekend’s Nürburgring 24 Hours race. Audi has launched a dedicated channel on OTT platform Motorsport.tv. The channel will kick off with behind-the-scenes content from the Nürburgring 24 Hours race which includes nine cars built by Audi Sport customer racing. Seven are Audi R8 LMS GT3 cars, and […]
Where to watch this weekend’s Premier League fixtures
The TV schedule for this weekend’s Premier League games. There are 10 Premier League matches on this weekend and Monday, which are all live on TV, following the removal of the 3pm blackout while fans are unable to attend stadiums. With the situation likely to remain the same for the next six months, it seems […]
DAZN and Discovery extend Eurosport distribution partnership
The deal means DAZN subscribers in five countries will continue to receive access to Eurosport channels as part of their subscription. DAZN and Discovery have extended the distribution partnership they have in place to bring DAZN subscribers Eurosport 1 HD and Eurosport 2 HD channels in five countries. Eurosport’s channels will be available to watch […]
Non-league Darlington FC launches live streaming service
Football club creates impressive multi-camera setup to enable fans to watch high quality coverage of matches. Fan-owned football club Darlington FC has created its own live streaming service, Quaker TV, which will provide high quality multi-camera broadcasts of each of the club’s matches. The club brought in CJP Broadcast to install a Streamstar X4 Live […]
Gravity Media and Atalanta Media to co-create Women’s Football content
The partnership will create productions that will “enable women’s football to shine its brightest.” Production services specialist Gravity Media has teamed up with newly-formed women’s football company Atalanta Media to create a new women’s football offering. The new service brings together the best women’s football action from across Europe. The content is being overseen and […]
Eurosport to air 300 hours of live tennis coverage from Roland-Garros
The broadcaster is covering all games, including the qualification tournament, and once more utilising its mixed-reality stage, the Eurosport Cube. Eurosport is airing every match from this year’s Roland-Garros tennis tournament live on Eurosport and the Eurosport Player. It’s producing 300 hours of live coverage from the main tournament – which starts on Sunday (27 […]
Lincoln City FC launches weekly live show Matchday Live
The production streams live on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter ahead of the club’s matches. League One team Lincoln City Football Club has launched a new weekly live show called Matchday Live. The production is hosted by freelance sports broadcaster and Lincoln City fan Sam Ashoo and streams live on the team’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter […]
Dugout football clips now available to BeIn Sports North America
Broadcaster agrees deal with football content company Dugout to access its large library of top-tier football clips. BeIn Sports North America is partnering with football content specialist Dugout to give its users in the US and Canada access to Dugout’s extensive library of football clips. This includes 3,500 videos generated by Dugout’s production team each […]
Eurosport to air elite handball in France and Poland
The deal runs until the end of the 2025-26 season. Eurosport has confirmed a six-year deal to air elite handball in France and Poland, including all the major European club competitions. The agreement with the European Handball Federation (EHF) and EHF Marketing gives Eurosport exclusive rights to screen the sport in these territories. The deal […]
Sky unveils Premier League title sequence for 2020/21 season
The title sequence includes subtle references to Liverpool throughout. Sky Creative Agency has created this season’s Premier League title sequence for Sky Sports. It was made during lockdown, in collaboration with The Mill and features all 20 Premier League teams. Current champions Liverpool start and end the spot, which has subtle Liverpool-focused additions such as […]
Rakuten unveils free 80-min motorcycle doc, Ride you Dream
The documentary tells the story of Ana Carrasco, the only woman to date to win a world motorcycle championship. Rakuten TV has released Ride your Dream, its documentary about motorcycling world champion, Ana Carrasco, which was first announced in June. The 80-minute film tells the story of the first and only woman in history to […]
SailGP to release four-part documentary providing insight into the sport
The series will be broadcast in advance of the second season of SailGP next year. SailGP is releasing a new doc series, SailGP: Racing on the Edge, ahead of its second season, which launches April 2021 in San Francisco. SailGP: Racing on the Edge interviews the league’s creators, athletes and designers, to enable fans to […]
OneFootball to broadcast Bundesliga matches for free in Brazil
Football app picks up the rights to air the German league to Brazilian football fans. The 2020/21 season of Bundesliga will be broadcast for free in Brazil exclusively by OneFootball. The OTT service will broadcast all Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 games for the next three seasons via the OneFootball app, up to and including the […]