UEFA, who is responsible for Champions League and Europa League, is developing its own streaming service that, at launch, will be complementary to broadcast channels, according to an interview in Spanish newspaper Palco23.
UEFA streaming service
You still have to tune in to broadcast channels to watch Champions League – at least for now. UEFA’s marketing director explains that the streaming service will be complementary and a way to expand coverage.
- "We do not seek to compete with them (broadcasters, red), but to be complementary thanks to the wide range we have,” Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director, UEFA, told Palco23.
This specifically means match summaries, delayed games, behind-the-scenes content, and a Magazine program as well as live streaming from woman and youth leagues that are not broadcast on channels.
To speak directly with fans
He is not expecting significant changes in the “short to medium term” but refrains from commenting on UEFA’s long term plans so it is not clear if the service will be used as a springboard to offer a full service with access to the biggest matches.
- "It is not ready yet, but we are already building our own OTT platform to go further with the contents," said Epstein. ” gives us the possibility to speak directly with the fans. It's a massive change in the way we build our community.”
Last month, UEFA also announced a partnership with Facebook to stream 32 Champions League matches per season, including the final, in Latin America.
The distribution chain for sports TV is breaking up. Sports leagues or agencies are increasingly launching “direct-to-consumer” services without a cable or satellite distributor as middle-man. How will the future look? It is too early to say but we think it is reasonable to argue that big changes are coming.
- Source: Palco23 via SportBusiness
