Esports company continues its association with the tournament that sees Premier League players competing on FIFA 20. Gfinity has won the contract to operate the second instalment of the ePremier League Invitational tournament, following its involvement in the inaugural tournament last month. The latest ePremier League Invitational will see a different group of Premier League […]
Category archives: Broadcast
Sports Illustrated signs up to Dugout for archive and BTS football content
US publisher to provide football fans with exclusive video content from more than 100 football clubs. Football content platform Dugout has inked a deal with Maven, the publisher of Sports Illustrated, to provide archive and behind-the-scenes video content to US-based football fans. The content comes from 100+ football clubs, national football federations and leagues, and […]
Eurosport to screen Zwift Tour for All exhibition cycle eracing series
5-day tournament features some of the world’s best cyclists and mass-participation stages. Eurosport is broadcasting the Zwift Tour for All exhibition racing series, a pro racing tour on the Zwift virtual platform. The tour will be held over five stages on 4-8 May, and will feature teams from both the men’s and women’s World Tours. […]
Sky Sports unveils schedule for inaugural The Cricket Show
Cricket-focused magazine show includes ECB’s Tom Harrison talking about the future of the highly anticipated The Hundred tournament. The first episode of Sky Sports’ The Cricket Show will TX at 2pm tomorrow (30 April). It features cricket ‘super fan’ Captain Tom Moore, who has raised more than £29m for the NHS through his garden walks. […]
ESL tech project creates real-time replays for esports
Partnership to innovate with live data visualisation in esports completes its first project. ESL has announced the first project to be completed from its partnership with Berlin-based Bayes Esports Solutions, which began in 2019. The partnership aims to create new innovations in live data visualisations in esports, with the first project – CARP – enabling […]
Eleven Sports Portugal creates new esports motorsports format
The esports event will be televised by Eleven Sports Portugal, with Eleven Sports prizes for the winners. Eleven Sports Portugal has created a new esports motorsports format, in partnership with GTC Race Centre and the Autódromo Virtual de Lisboa. The tournament will consist of six heats and culminate in a grand final on Sunday 7 […]
Behind the scenes: PDC Home Tour darts
Broadcast Sport gets the low down on how the innovative home darts tournament has been staged and broadcast. Loop Productions, based at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol has revealed its role in getting the PDC Home Tour darts tournament on air. Speaking to Broadcast Sport, the company’s production engineer Adam Young, said: “We used […]
COMMENT: Hitting the right notes with music on sports productions
Charles Gadsdon, global director of growth EMEA, MassiveMusic on the importance of creating a sonic brand for TV sport. In football, music is arguably just as important as the club badges, colours and nicknames. Whether the chorus of fans in the Kop singing the moving You’ll Never Walk Alone to the playful I’m Forever Blowing […]
Sky Sports to broadcast ‘watch-along’ golf final with Rory McIlroy
Close fought final gets a re-run tomorrow evening, hosted by tournament winner McIlroy. Sky Sports is broadcasting a ‘watch-along’ screening of the final of the Players Championship 2019 golf tournament, featuring live insight and breakdown from tournament winner Rory McIlroy. McIlroy will join Nick Dougherty and Brandel Chamblee live from 9.35pm tomorrow (Tuesday, 28 April) […]
S4C lines up schedule of Welsh sporting classics
Welsh broadcaster goes big on Wales-focused sporting re-runs. Welsh broadcaster S4C is the latest to announce a series of archive broadcasts, to fill the slot left by live sport cancellations. Naturally, it’s focused on Wales’ sporting past, with the broadcaster commissioning a number of productions it will TX over the coming weeks. The programming includes […]
Podcast: Blast Premier CEO Robbie Douek on the growth of esports during the pandemic
Blast Premier esports CEO Robbie Douek talks to Broadcast Sport reporter Max Miller. In episode #9 of the Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series, Blast Premier esports CEO Robbie Douek talks to Broadcast Sport reporter Max Miller about the appeal of esports – what draws fans to the games, and how esports can capitalise on the […]
Industry responds to lockdown: watch virtual roundtable debate
You can stream the full BT Media & Broadcast sports industry discussion for free. BT Media & Broadcast has shared the full virtual roundtable webinar discussion it held last week to discuss the impact coronavirus is having on sports production and broadcast. The roundtable included representatives from BT Sport, Excel Esports, FACEIT and Noah Media […]
Liverpool FC to repurpose archive content for fans during lockdown
It’s using cloud-based editing and publishing platform Blackbird. Liverpool FC is using remote video editing and publishing platform Blackbird to repurpose content from its archive, to provide fans with rarely seen clips during the Covid-19 pandemic. The archive content will be published on the Liverpool FC website and social platforms including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and […]
Alternative thrills: Why esports is like punk rock
Ross Video esports business development manager Cameron Reed on the anti-establishment appeal of esports. In the 1970s punk music offered a new home to young people looking for an alternative to the established norms; it represented a rebellion against a mainstream culture that its followers saw as conservative, traditional and saccharine. I think you can […]
Podcast: BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh on creating a virtual studio during lockdown
BT Sport has decentralised production to enable presenters and crew to create, produce and broadcast live shows from their homes. Episode 8 of the Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series sees BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh talking with Broadcast Sport editor Jake Bickerton about how the broadcaster has responded to lockdown. Working to a very tight […]
Eleven Sports to televise Digital Swiss cycling esports event
The esports competition uses real video footage of the roads in the Tour de Suisse. Eleven Sports is to broadcast The Digital Swiss 5 cycling series live in Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Italy and Myanmar. The race, which takes place 22-26 April, features some of the world’s best cyclists, with 16 of the 19 World […]
Live darts returns to television
The Professional Darts Corporation’s home-staged tournament, Home Tour darts, is being televised each night from 7:30pm. One of the few examples of live sports still on our screens is the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) Home Tour darts tournament, which began on Friday. The competition runs for 32 consecutive nights, broadcasting live and on-demand for free […]
Podcast: Ronnie O’Sullivan & Eurosport’s Jamie Steward
O’Sullivan talks about what he’s been up to during lockdown, including recording a series of 30-minute vodcasts for Eurosport, while Steward reveals Eurosport’s sports strategy to fill the live sport void during the pandemic. The latest episode of Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series sees Ronnie O’Sullivan join Eurosport UK senior director of production and broadcast […]
Arsenal launches TikTok account with exclusive content and mini-series
The football club will use the platform to target a younger audience. Arsenal has launched an official account on social media platform TikTok. The club aims to use TikTok to target a new audience and younger demographic with “exclusive access to first-team stars, behind-the-scenes content, current trends, challenges and exclusive mini-series.” Arsenal has 70+ million […]
Real Estelí FC adds English commentary to YouTube matches
English commentary will help expand the global audience for the club. Nicaraguan club Real Estelí FC has teamed up with virtual commentary studio Spalk to make its matches available in English. The games will be streamed in English through the club’s YouTube channel in an attempt to expand its fan base. Spalk will be providing […]
LaLiga unveils three new programme formats during lockdown
Spanish football league is rolling out new programming to its domestic and international audience. LaLiga is creating three new programmes to enable fans to get closer to LaLiga stars. The shows – LaLiga StayAtHome, LaLiga Clubs and LaLiga Nations – will air on LaLiga’s national and international broadcasters, including LaLigaTV. LaLiga StayAtHome is a 30-minute […]
Dugout to provide exclusive football clips to Chinese platform PP Sports
The football video archive, owned by some of the world’s biggest clubs, is providing a range of content for Chinese football fans. Dugout has announced a new video content partnership with Chinese digital platform, PP Sports, to help meet the increasing demand for football content from fans in China. Dugout, which is co-owned by 10 […]
Viewpoint: The appeal and thrill of esports
Amanda Lawson, global head of content at esports company Gfinity on the thrill of the game. Having spent 20 years working in sport, from football through combat sports and more recently in esports, I thought I had seen everything. I am sitting in our broadcast gallery in Fulham, sitting in a different room to my […]
Former ESPN CEO joins board of interactive streamer Maestro
The company adds Steve Bornstein to its advisory board during a period of growth. Live interactive streaming platform Maestro has added Steve Bornstein, the former CEO of ESPN and former CEO of NFL Network to its advisory board. He will help guide Maestro as it aims to grow from its heartland of esports to traditional […]
Eurosport reveals snooker content to replace World Snooker Championship
The broadcaster, which calls itself the Home of Snooker, has created new content with snooker legends, as well as new formats that enable fans to delve into its extensive snooker archive. Eurosport has unveiled its snooker programming over the next two weeks to replace the postponed World Snooker Championship season finale. The broadcaster has created […]
COPA90 tackles mental health in latest episode of The Groundbreakers
New episode of popular COPA90 series sees Michael Keane discussing his own mental health. The latest episode of COPA90 series The Groundbreakers sees Everton and England player Michael Keane talking about his struggles with mental health. The production was made in association with mental health charity Calm, and focuses on how Keane reacted to an […]
Sports channel Unbeaten launches on OTT platform TVPlayer
It will host daily sports news and a range of original sports programming. A new subscription sports channel, Unbeaten, has launched on OTT platform TVPlayer to cover sports news and broadcast original programming featuring “high-profile” sports stars. The channel will host a range of daily news shows – Life’s a Pitch, Sport Confidential, The Football […]
Roundtable: How to Build A Fan Base
The rise in new sports formats has focused attention on the best way to combine traditional media with social and digital platforms to engage with and retain audiences. In recent years, a plethora of newly devised sports formats have launched. Formats like Sail GP, Extreme E, the Six Day Series and Roborace or major one-off […]
BT Sport removes WrestleMania from PPV for free screening this weekend
BT Sport is replaying WrestleMania in its entirety this weekend, and is removing the pay-per-view requirement, making it available for all subscribers at no additional cost. The WrestleMania action will be broadcast on Saturday and Sunday night, alongside a range of other WWE content to be screened across the bank holiday weekend (see box […]
Eleven Sports goes free in Italy and Portugal
The OTT broadcaster removes subscription costs for the rest of April, and – in Portugal – all of May too. Eleven Sports has frozen all subscriptions in Italy until 3 May and in Portugal until 31 May. The full archive of content on the platform will be made available for free during this time. Eleven […]
Sky Sports updates schedules with archive, docs and a series of new shows
Archive material, new shows and documentaries to be unveiled by Sky Sports over the coming weeks and months. Sky Sports is launching a weekday mid-morning football show and adding a range of content across its 11 channels, digital and social platforms in an attempt to “give viewers their sporting fix during these times of national […]
Sports industry experts join webinar to discuss the impact of the pandemic
Sign up now to hear experts from BT Sport, Noah Media, Excel Sports and FACEIT at 4pm on 14 April. BT Media & Broadcast is running a virtual roundtable webinar, The changing content landscape, at 4pm on Tuesday 14 April. The event will discuss the way the sports industry is evolving in its response to […]
Otro receives investment from Eleven Sports backer Aser Ventures
The investment comes as the sports content creator transitions away from a subscriptions model Aser Ventures has made an equity investment in the sports-focused content studio Otro. The investment company’s portfolio already includes a number of sports businesses such as Eleven Sports and Leeds United. The investment in Otro is a ‘strategic partnership’ between Aser […]
Sports viewing falls by 91% as coronavirus hits Europe
A streaming report from Conviva shows the impact of the pandemic on sports viewing. Sports viewing is down 91% across Europe, according to research by streaming intelligence company Conviva. Sports usually accounts for around 30% of viewing, but since the coronavirus pandemic has halted all live sports, sports viewing has plummeted dramatically. There’s been a […]
BT Sport launches live show to re-run last year’s Champions League
Archive material to be aired by BT Sport in a new live show format, preceded by highlights from classic European finals BT Sport is re-running key UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League moments for British clubs through two new productions. The first new series – Throwbacks, on BT Sport 2 – is focused on […]
COVID-19’s effect on football: Spotlight on the Women’s Game
Rebecca Smith, global director of the women’s game, Copa90 gives her opinion on how the coronavirus crisis could impact the growth of women’s football. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic is being felt across the globe and the consequences for football and in particular women’s football are multifaceted and complex. The recent announcements that the […]
BT Sport unveils schedule of original sports docs for April
Broadcaster to screen one original sports doc a week. BT Sport is to showcase one original sports documentary a week during the coronavirus crisis. Its schedule of BT Sport Films covers sports stories across a wide range of sports, including football, rugby, boxing and MotoGP. The first of the weekly series was broadcast yesterday with […]
Almost 5m tune in to the Virtual Grand National
The virtual version of the real thing pulls in around half the audience of last year’s real race. ITV’s Virtual Grand National reached a peak audience of 4.8m, with an average of 4.3m (a 28% audience share) tuning in to the broadcast. The computer simulation of the annual horse race – which ran at the […]
DAZN picks up WWE for Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Sports streamer adds live and on-demand WWE content to its sports content across these territories. WWE has agreed a multi-year deal with DAZN for live and on demand programming of weekly WWE content for DAZN in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Beginning this week, WWE Raw and SmackDown shows will go out with the original US […]
Arsenal FC chooses Blackbird for quick-turnaround social content
Cloud video editor to be used by the club for editing and distributing live and archive content on social platforms. Arsenal Football Club has announced it’s to use cloud video platform Blackbird for the speedy editing and publishing of content to fans. The club, which has a combined following of 70+ million fans across its […]
Eleven Sports wins rights to DTM racing in Poland and Belgium
Iconic touring-car series joins Eleven Sports’ racing content in these markets. Eleven Sports has picked up the rights to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) racing series in Poland and Belgium. DTM bills itself as the most popular touring-car series in Europe, featuring spectacular races and cutting-edge coupe cars. The series of 10 race days is […]
BBC fills sports void with wealth of sports archive content
The broadcaster is replacing live sports events with classic sporting moments. With coronavirus putting a stop to all live sport, BBC Sport is the latest sport broadcaster to turn its attentions to archive sports footage. It’s scheduling a whole calendar of archive sporting events, including the London 2012 Olympic Games. BBC1 will show both The […]
Wimbledon 2020 cancelled, Women’s Euro 2021 postponed
Two more huge sporting events affected by the coronavirus pandemic In somewhat inevitable news, the All England Club (AELTC) announced earlier today that Wimbledon 2020 wouldn’t go ahead – the first time the iconic tennis competition has been cancelled since World War II. A decision has also been made to move the Women’s European Championship […]
Blast esports tournaments to move from stadiums to online
Esports tournament promises “an immersive live broadcast unlike anything done before”. Global esports network Blast is adapting its forthcoming Premier Spring Showdown and Spring Final events to be played remotely, in response to the coronavirus crisis. The events, which are both scheduled for June, were previously due to be held live in stadiums in front […]
Eleven Sports Belgium signs up NBA TV
Basketball fans will have a chance to see some action while the coronavirus pauses live games Eleven Sports is to show NBA TV in its efforts to bring viewers content while live games are postponed. The competition was postponed on 11 March, and it looks unlikely to come back any time soon as the coronavirus […]
Belarus Premier League live sport gamble lands 10 TV deals
It is the last division in Europe to still be playing amid the coronavirus pandemic The Belarus Premier League has signed ten new TV rights deals as it continues to play despite the coronavirus pandemic. The division is the last to still be playing in Europe professionally, as the continent sees sporting events cancelled due […]
Tech Talks podcast: BBC’s Gavin Ramjaun on reporting during the pandemic
Episode #4 of the Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series is with BBC sports and news presenter Gavin Ramjaun Up until a month or so ago, being a sports presenter was a fairly predictable role, reporting on the day’s live sports. Like everything else in life right now, coronavirus has turned the role of sports presenter […]
The Digital Swiss 5 to bring virtual cycling to screens with real athletes
The competition is being run by Velon, the Tour de Suisse, and the Rouvy Indoor Cycling Reality platform Cycling organisation Velon has worked with the Tour de Suisse and the Rouvy Indoor Cycling Reality platform to bring viewers The Digital Swiss 5. The competition will involve world tour teams using their ‘smart’ trainers at home […]
Eurovision Sport negotiates sport archive access for EBU members
The organisation has helped others across Europe to have access to the World Cup, Tour de France, and other major events Eurovision Sport has negotiated with sport federations to gain access to archive footage for European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members. The EBU revealed that the company had spoken with sports federations it is partnered with […]
LiveU and Tencent partner to broadcast live sport despite covid-19 lockdowns
LiveU supplied remote production equipment to film the event LiveU and Chinese broadcaster Tencent managed to bring some live sport to viewers recently, in the form of speed skating. The 2020 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in South Korea were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and in reaction, the China Short Track Speed […]
BT Sport offers customers bill credit or NHS donations
Competitor Sky Sports has let customers pause their subscriptions during the break in sport BT is allowing customers to either claim a month’s credit or donate their subscriptions to its BT Sport service. With the vast majority of sporting events postponed during the coronavirus crisis, the broadcaster has been left to fill its schedule with […]
Fox Sports continues dive into esports with Madden NFL Invitational
The broadcaster has already agreed to show the entire eNascar iRacing Pro invitational Series while events are postponed Fox Sports continued its move into esports by airing the Esports Madden NFL Invitational on Sunday. The broadcaster has already agreed to air the entirety of the eNascar iRacing Pro invitational Series, after its first showing of […]
Grabyo and Inter Miami CF combine for Twitch Stream Aid 2020
The company helped to produce the football team’s esports experience in the charity event Grabyo and Inter Miami CF partnered to remotely broadcast an esports competition for Twitch’s Stream Aid 2020. The company supplied its cloud-based remote production platform, Grabyo Producer, to the club so that players Julián Carranza, Lewis Morgan, Lee Nguyen, and Rodolfo […]
The FA reveals online content plan for football hiatus
The governing body will be attempting to keep the public entertained while stuck at home The FA has launched #FootballsStayingHome, its plan to keep fans entertained while stuck at home. With football matches postponed for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus pandemic, the governing body has announced a weekly content programme including archive footage, […]
2020 Tokyo Olympic Games confirms rescheduled 2021 dates
The event has had to reschedule due to the coronavirus pandemic The Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games has confirmed that it will run from 23 July until 8 August, 2021. Despite the move to next year, the organisers have decided to keep the 2020 name. The Games has had to be moved due to the coronavirus […]
ITV gambles on Virtual Grand National
With no live race this year, broadcaster puts predictive event centre stage Iconic racehorse Red Rum is to face off against current star Tiger Roll as part of a virtual Grand National to be staged by ITV next Saturday. In a bid to entertain racing fans vexed at the cancellation of this year’s event, Carm […]
BT Sport Early Kick Off to be produced live from home using 4G network
BT earlier produced Scottish Football Extra from home, and is now moving this onto other production BT Sport is to produce its Early Kick Off show live from home this Saturday. Presenter Jake Humphrey revealed on Twitter that the show will be created with one crew member with him at his house – who will […]
ITV Hub to substitute Euro 2020 for 96 memories
In addition, ITV 4 will be showing all the England matches on their run to the semi-finals ITV Hub is going to show the entire 31 matches of Euro 96 after the 2020 edition was postponed due to the coronavirus crisis. In addition, ITV 4 will show England’s five-game run to the semi-finals, which ended […]
Sky Sports turns to international horse racing during UK hiatus
The broadcaster has found some live sport to fill the schedule this weekend Sky Sports has found some live sport to broadcast this weekend, in the form of international horse racing. Events in the US, Hong Kong, and Australia are still going ahead despite the coronavirus crisis that has seen the majority of sport postponed […]
F1 to use Lando Norris streaming popularity in #ChallengeLando esports event
The racing series has turned to esports while its races are postponed due to the coronavirus crisis Formula One has built on its esports offering by creating #ChallengeLando – an opportunity to race against McLaren driver Lando Norris. Norris has a popular channel on streaming site Twitch, which saw him break the record for the […]
NBC Sports makes D2C sport content free during postponements
The Premier League, PGA Tour, Tour de France, and more are available NBC Sports has announced that it is offering free access to ten sports passes while live sport is postponed. Measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic have led to the vast majority of sporting events being cancelled or suspended. This has […]
Tech Talks podcast: Duncan Alexander on the power of football stats during the pandemic
Episode #3 of the new Broadcast Tech Talks podcast is with Stats Perform/OptaJoe football statistician, broadcaster and author Duncan Alexander In this eight-minute interview – the third in the new Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series – Stats Perform chief data editor Duncan Alexander provides some fascinating insight into how historic football data consistently unearths new […]
Sky and BT could lose over £900m if sport remains postponed until August
Enders Analysis has looked into the impact of a long-term pause in live sport Sky and BT could lose £928m if live sport is suspended until August, claims a report from Enders Analysis. The broadcasters have been hit by postponements to live events as part of measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, […]
Fox to broadcast entire Nascar esports series after record-breaking opener
Nascar has turned to esports while races are postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic Fox Sports has agreed to broadcast the entirety of the eNascar iRacing Pro invitational Series, after success with the first race. The broadcaster aired the first event on Sunday, 22 March, and drew 903,000 viewers to FS 1 – according to […]
Expert predicts turmoil for F1 as coronavirus effects hit
The racing series has had to delay the start to its season Formula One could be facing trouble with its broadcast and sponsorship incomes due to the effects of the coronavirus lockdowns. The racing series has had to delay the start to its season until at least June, with the iconic Monaco Grand Prix outright […]
FA to stream retro #ReLions series after England matches postponed
Archive encounters against Denmark and Italy will be shown while the matches would have been happening The FA is to launch the #ReLions series in the time slots that the England men’s national team would have been playing against Italy and Denmark over the next five days. With the live matches postponed due to the […]
Report: ESPN and Fox to show Fury v Wilder 3 in October
Tyson Fury defeated Deontay Wilder last year, in their second fight Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are set to fight for a third time later this year, with ESPN and Fox collaborating on the pay-per-view, according to reports. The Athletic has revealed that the pair are to face each other on 3 October this year. […]
French sports minister signals Tour de France could go ahead
The race could go ahead behind closed doors as it doesn’t rely on ticket sales French sports minister, Roxana Maracineanu, believes the Tour de France could still go ahead behind closed doors this summer. With ticket sales not a major source of income for the race, the event could still go ahead without fans attending. […]
Industry figure warns of ‘huge decline’ in Premier League broadcast income
Sports Lawyer Richard Cramer has some dramatic predictions for the sport industry Sports lawyer Richard Cramer believes the Premier League could lose money on broadcasting rights deals if the current coronavirus lockdown continues. Speaking to the The Sun, Cramer points to a lack of Sky subscriptions potentially causing the company to re-evaluate its huge rights […]
Discovery to move over £149m of Olympics costs to 2021 after postponement
The company revealed the news in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange commission on 24 March Discovery, the parent company of European sport broadcaster Eurosport, has revealed that it expects to move between $175 million (£149m) and $200 million (£170m) of Olympics costs to 2021. The move from the Japanese government and IOC […]