World Rugby to broadcast free live streams of Super Rugby in UK and globally

Ireland, some European countries, Asia (excluding Japan), North Africa and the Middle East will also be able to enjoy the free live sport World Rugby has agreed an interim deal with Rugby Australia to provide free live streams of Harvey Norman Super Rugby. Viewers in the UK, Ireland, some European countries, Asia (excluding Japan), North […]

Amazon Prime Video to broadcast WTA & ATP Miami Open

The tennis tournament runs from 23 March until 4 April Amazon Prime Video is live and exclusively broadcasting the WTA and ATP Miami Open to UK & Ireland viewers. Running from 23 March until 4 April, with the finals taking place on the 3-4 April, the competition is taking place at the Hard Rock Stadium […]

F1 TV gets tune-up ahead of 2021 season and expansion

Race fans in Brazil, Czech Republic, and Slovakia will be able to tune into the service this season Formula One has updated its OTT subscription service F1 TV ahead of the 2021 season. Already available in 82 countries globally, the service is expanding to Brazil, Czech Republic, and Slovakia this year. The update was developed […]

DAZN reveals chairman of the board

Kevin Mayer, formerly of Disney, has taken over from the departing John Skipper DAZN has appointed Kevin Mayer as its chairman of the board of directors, replacing former incumbent John Skipper. Mayer was chairman of direct-to-consumer and international at Disney before this appointment, and has over 30 years’ experience in the industry. This includes also […]

How DAZN created ‘more than football’ documentary Club Ibiza: The Sessions

Co-director and executive producer, as well as DAZN SVP original programming, Grant Best, explained to Broadcast Sport how they built a documentary around Ibiza’s small football club DAZN released Club Ibiza: The Sessions last month, a documentary focusing on Spanish third tier football side UD Ibiza. Filmed almost entirely before Covid restrictions were announced, it […]

ICC and IMG partner to stream World Cup qualifying

Qualifying for the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 and the Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be available online The ICC and IMG have agreed a partnership to live stream qualifying matches for the next three World Cups. The Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the Women’s T20 World Cup […]

FIBA and Twitch agree to bring more basketball to platform

The deal will mean that over 600 hours of live basketball will be broadcast on the live streaming service The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has agreed a deal with Twitch to bring more basketball content to the platform. The first such deal between Twitch and an international federation, the agreement means that over 600 hours […]

StreamAMG to create Canadian basketball OTT service

The Canadian Elite Basketball League will be available to viewers globally The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and StreamAMG have partnered to put together a new OTT service. It is hoped that the service will be in place ahead of the 2021 season, which is yet to be scheduled. With free agency now taking place […]

World Parkour Championships goes D2C on Recast

There will be full live streams on the platform once the tournament resumes post-lockdown. The World Parkour Championships (WPC) is to share content via sports video platform Recast. The tournament, described as “Parkour’s showpiece series”, will be hosted on the subscription-free app, providing exclusive clips, highlights and interviews from the events. The content will extend […]

DAZN considering Premier League domestic rights bid – report

The OTT platform would have to compete with current rights holders BT Sport, Sky Sports, and Amazon Prime Video DAZN is weighing up a bid for the domestic Premier League rights for the 2022/23 until 2024/25 seasons, according to the Telegraph. The rights for the 2022-25 seasons will be up for grabs this spring, with […]

SquashTV launches in UK & Ireland

Over 600 live squash matches are expected to be broadcast on the OTT service SquashTV has launched in Europe, and the UK & Ireland, after the end of an agreement with Eurosport Player. The broadcast deal with Eurosport Player came to an end on 8 February, having previously meant that SquashTV was only available outside […]

WATCH: Breakfast Club with Eurosport, Discovery+, Eleven Sports, Mycujoo

The full speaker sessions from the first Broadcast Sport Breakfast Club are now available to watch on-demand on YouTube. The first Broadcast Sport Breakfast Club, held on 27 January on the virtual conferencing platform Hopin, focused on the new OTT/D2C sports platforms, with discussions with Eurosport about its role in the launch of Discovery+ and […]

Discovery+ unveils original content strategy for sport

Expect a lot of documentaries, and content aimed at bringing in viewers from other areas of the Discovery audience Eurosport president Andrew Georgiou and global production and content head Scott Young have revealed Discovery+’s strategy for creating original sport content, while speaking at the Broadcast Sport Virtual Breakfast Club. Talking on the subject last week, […]

Discovery+ to show Liverpool FC documentary The End Of The Storm

It will be available exclusively in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Poland and India Discovery+ is to show The End Of The Storm, a documentary charting Liverpool’s Premier League title-winning 2019/20 season. Made with the full support of Liverpool FC through production, distribution and marketing, it shows how the Reds broke a […]

Discovery+ to acquire exclusive rights separate from Eurosport

Discovery has a unique rights strategy for its new OTT platform Eurosport president Andrew Georgiou has revealed that Discovery+ will acquire sport rights that are exclusive to the platform. This could mean that the OTT service will provide sport coverage that linear broadcaster Eurosport does not. Speaking at the Broadcast Sport Virtual Breakfast Club on […]

Discovery Plus reveals possible two tier subscription service for sport

Sport may be included as part of a second incremental tier on the OTT platform Speaking at the Broadcast Sport Virtual Breakfast Club this week, Eurosport president Andrew Georgiou has revealed that Discovery+ may have a two tier subscription service in some markets. The OTT platform is launching globally over the next 12 months, and […]

DAZN secures Movistar alliance and F1 rights acquisition

The deal means that DAZN will be available on the Movistar+ platform DAZN and Movistar have reached an agreement that sees the former distributed through the Movistar+ platform. DAZN also acquires the exploitation rights for Formula One World Championship in Spain until 2023, which will be shown on the new DAZN F1 channel on the […]

COMMENT: Is your business ready for ‘The Great Compression’ of 2021?

Jean-Baptiste Lapeyre, Specialist at Rakuten DX, takes us through the opportunities and potential pitfalls ahead in 2021. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, 2021 is a business opportunity that is simply too big to miss. If you think about it, we’re squeezing two years’ worth of sporting events into one – you could call […]

Recast launches beta for micropayment OTT platform

Recast wants to help sports which have had trouble monetising their content Micropayment OTT platform Recast has launched a beta version, ahead of a full unveiling later this year. The platform aims to change the way that viewers consume sport, introducing a micropayments system that uses in-app credits called ‘Casts’. Fans can earn these credits […]

Eleven leadership restructure brings in MyCujoo co-founders

You can hear from COO Anouk Mertens and new chief direct to consumer officer Pedro Presa at the Broadcast Sport Virtual Breakfast Club this month Eleven Group has restructured its leadership team, bringing the founders of MyCujoo on board after its acquisition of the streaming service. MyCujoo co-founder and CEO, Pedro Presa, joins the Eleven […]

Broadcast Sport launches free Virtual Breakfast Club sessions

The first Virtual Breakfast Club begins at 10am on 27 January and includes Eurosport president Andrew Georgiou; Eurosport global production and content head Scott Young; Eleven Sports COO Anouk Mertens; and MyCujoo co-founder Pedro Presa. Broadcast Sport is launching a regular Virtual Breakfast Club, providing thought leadership sessions for the sport production and broadcast sector. […]

COMMENT: Engaging fans and boosting revenue through D2C

Dheeraj Ravula, head of product for D2C video solutions, MediaKind, takes us through the growing opportunities in D2C/OTT For sports rights-holders, leagues and teams looking to future proof their business models amid turbulent industry disruption, one thing is clear; having direct relationships with fans is critical. Sports rights-holders now have a renewed opportunity to offer […]

DAZN Group announces co-CEOs in leadership shake up

The OTT provider expanded its platform to over 200 countries and territories in December DAZN Group has appointed co-CEOs as it looks to build on its expansion to over 200 countries and territories. Shay Segev joins the broadcaster from Entain, a sports betting and gaming company. He has a background in technology and digital transformation […]

Eleven Taiwan appoints new MD after distribution extension

Michael Sun has left his role as chairman and CEO of SlamBall Asia to join the company Eleven Taiwan has appointed Michael Sun as managing director, just weeks after it extended its distribution in the country. Sun joins the broadcaster after being CEO and chairman of SlamBall Asia – a form of basketball played with […]

MediaKind unveils extensive report on D2C platforms of sports rights holders

The report is available for free below, and includes analysis of 40 rights holders from around the world. MediaKind has unveiled a report providing detailed analysis on the direct-to-consumer (D2C) OTT platforms owned and operated directly by sports rights holders. The report – The MediaKind 2021 Sports D2C Forecast – covers sports leagues, confederations, national […]

WATCH: Day 2 of the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020

WATCH AGAIN: Sessions with The FA, LaLiga, MyCuJoo, Extreme E, Sail GP, F1, BT Sport, Sky Sports, and more. The Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020 was held on the online conferencing platform Hopin on 11-12 November 2020. It was an exclusive event for the sports production sector where attendees could engage with live sessions, […]

The FA and LaLiga on rights holders’ OTT future

Keegan Pierce, international development UK&I, La Liga, and Matt Brown, broadcast product manager, The FA, were speaking at the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum FA broadcast product manager Matt Brown and La Liga international development, UK&I, Keegan Pierce have spoken on the importance of OTT platforms for rights holders and the possibility that they could […]

BBC Sport open to working with OTT platforms for niche sports

Speaking at the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum, BBC Sport director Barbara Slater revealed a willingness to work together on smaller sports BBC Sport director Barbara Slater has hinted that the public service broadcaster could be open to working alongside OTT streamers on certain sports. Speaking to Broadcast editor Chris Curtis at the Broadcast Sport […]

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 […]

GolfTV unveils second series of golf masterclass, My Game: Tiger Woods

Second series continues the Tiger Woods masterclass. The first episode is currently free-to-air on GolfTV. Discovery’s GolfTV has revealed the second series of its original production, My Game: Tiger Woods. The masterclass series was filmed in June in Florida (with strict Covid-19 production-safety precautions in place) and continues where series one left off, with a […]

Nearly 60% of UK sports fans open to exclusively streaming sport

The coronavirus lockdown has accelerated the turn to online streaming A study from cloud video platform Grabyo has found that 59% of UK sports fans would be willing to switch to exclusively streaming their sport. The UK At Home Video Trends 2020 report surveyed over 2,000 UK consumers on their video consumption and purchasing habits, […]

West Brom partners with StreamAMG to boost WBA TV

The Baggies are back in the Premier League and looking to improve their offering to fans West Bromwich Albion has announced a new partnership with StreamAMG ahead of its return to the Premier League. From the start of next season, the Baggies will use StreamAMG’s technology to power WBA TV. The D2C offering allows fans […]

The future of sports broadcasting rights in a post-Covid world

COMMENT: Tomos Jones, senior associate at global law firm Reed Smith on the changing value of sports rights in a post-Covid world. At the time of writing, live sports events are showing the first, tentative signs of ‘getting the show back on the road’. Major football and cricket events now have scheduled resumption dates, and […]

Eurosport hires Amar Melwani to bolster its D2C offering

Eurosport recruits OTT/D2C specialist to grow its D2C services. Eurosport has taken on Amar Melwani in the newly created position of vp, distribution partnerships and rights strategy. It’s part of a move by Eurosport to bolster its direct-to-consumer (D2C) efforts. Melwani joins from The Walt Disney Company where he worked on Disney+. He previously led […]

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 […]

UEFA to air free archive content on OTT platform, including Champions League

The governing body is dealing with postponements to elite football UEFA has announced that it will show free archive content from the Champions League and other competitions on its digital channels. With the coronavirus pandemic causing elite football to be postponed worldwide, the governing body is attempting to fill the gap for quarantined fans in […]

EFL open to online streaming in international rights sale

It is searching for advisors to help with a new deal The English Football League (EFL) is looking for independent advisors to provide advice during the sale of its international broadcast rights for post-2022. The organisation is looking to find the best approach to maximise both value and exposure in this round of rights sales. […]

Matchroom Sport to launch OTT platform with StreamAMG

Darts, pool, and snooker will be available on the service Matchroom Sport is to launch an OTT platform, Matchroom Live, to provide both live and on-demand content. The service will be built and powered by StreamAMG, and will have access to a range of sports from Matchroom’s portfolio. Its offering will include live broadcasts of […]

DAZN Spain reveals 49 million hours of sport watched in first year

78.1% of the hours were spent watching live sport DAZN has revealed that over 49 million hours of sport were watched on its platform during its first year in Spain. The live and on-demand sport streaming service launched in the country on 27 February 2019, and has since shown coverage of competitions such as MotoGP, […]

Eleven Sports Portugal creates Champions League WhatsApp service

Messaging app used to get live clips and match updates direct to fans Eleven Sports has launched a WhatsApp service to provide fans with speedy access to the latest sports clips. The service kicked off this week, during Eleven Sports Portugal’s coverage of the Champions League. It was used to share match updates and goal […]

Industry research boosts Premier League’s case for OTT platform

Industry expert believes it could bring opportunities for the competition  The Premier League’s case for creating its own streaming service has been boosted by a white paper on the area. Research conducted by CenturyLink and Streaming Video Alliance found that video streaming has continued to grow, with over 80% of consumers streaming more than three […]

Premier League exec director on why not to go D2C

Any move by the Premier League to go direct-to-consumer (D2C) will present significant challenges, reveals exec director William Bush Premier League executive director William Bush has revealed some of the barriers to entry to launching its own global D2C service. It follows the Premier League announcing plans to make its first moves into OTT, with […]

Premier League reveals plan to kick off OTT streaming service

The Premier League is aiming to stream its matches on a Netflix-style OTT platform, new chief executive Richard Masters has revealed. The league is looking to bypass its usual rights deals to sell coverage directly to consumers – as predicted by tech and media analyst Paolo Pescatore in Broadcast Sport last year. Masters divulged that […]

Broadcast Sport launches Content Summit

New event focuses on best practice for creating sports content across live sports, documentaries and studio-based shows   Broadcast Sport is running a full day Content Creation Summit at Dock 10 studios at MediaCityUK on Thursday, 5 March 2020. The event focuses on different areas of sports production, providing a platform for sports content producers […]

SquashTV to broadcast Men’s Squash Championship live to 3m global fans

D2C coverage, together with Facebook streams, will see squash tournament reach large audience worldwide SquashTV will broadcast the Men’s World Team Squash Championship (held 15-21 December in Washington D.C.) for free globally, after reaching an agreement with the World Squash Federation (WSF) and tournament hosts Squash on Fire. The D2C platform Squash TV, which is […]

Sling TV expands relationship with La Liga

US streamer signs up as official sponsor of Spanish league in North America US streamer Sling TV has become the official sponsor of LaLiga in a deal which will see it step up its coverage of the Spanish league. Sling TV curently broadcasts all LaLiga regular season matches via beIN Sports and beIN Sports en […]

Streaming: Taking the direct route

Both established and niche sports are testing the waters of serving fans via their own D2C services   The rollout of high-speed broadband, smartphones and SVoD services such as Netflix has created a technically literate audience that’s familiar with the direct-to-consumer (D2C) model. Sports organisations are beginning to test the waters in different business models around OTT […]