International sports live coverage is undergoing a significant transformation. The global rise of portals – heavily-capitalised services that offer over-the-top (OTT) sport streaming – has challenged the ownership and organisation of media sport rights.
Drawing on Amanda Lotz’s concept of portals, this article examines three OTT services that operate across Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australasia. It considers the defining characteristics of these services as they compete for audiences, subscribers and profits in media sport rights markets.
Tencent Video
Tencent Video has a large user base and offers content in multiple languages. Its platform offers a wide range of genres, including drama series and variety shows. Its popularity has allowed it to secure distribution rights for popular movies and television shows. Its app has a rating of 3.5 out of 5 on Apple’s App Store and is available in over 40 countries and regions.
The NBA contract stimulated users inflow to Tencent Sports, and it also helped the company to market itself as a Chinese online sports media platform. Consequently, it began to pursue vast cooperation with other top sports leagues in order to attract more Chinese sports fans.
Grass Valley equipped Tencent’s outside broadcast truck with an LDX 86N Series camera for HD image capture; GV Korona K-Frame Video Production Center and GV Node IP/SDI Router Control System to enable real-time integrated content production; and a LiveU LU600 HEVC bonding unit to stream high-quality live video to remote locations.
DAZN
DAZN is a pioneering sports streaming service that brings a world of sport to fans in 200 territories. Its subscription-based model offers high-quality, flexible streaming and an extensive catalog of live and on-demand sports events. The platform is compatible with a range of devices, including smart TVs, gaming consoles, computers and mobile devices. It also offers a range of payment plans to suit different needs.
DAZN’s deal with the NFL will allow it to expand its global reach and attract more users into its ecosystem. The service is quickly becoming the partner of choice for major sports promoters, leagues and tournaments to unlock new revenue streams from fan engagement. The NFL Game Pass International package is available both as a standalone subscription and as a bolt-on to existing DAZN packages globally. Grabyo’s social media integration solutions enable DAZN to create and share live sports content on social platforms, increasing brand awareness, engagement and customer conversion.
Amazon Prime Video
Depending on your location, Amazon Prime Video offers a number of bundles and plans. You can access Prime Video through the web, OTT streaming devices, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and Amazon Fire tablets. You can also purchase or rent videos and download them for offline viewing. There are a variety of free and ad-supported channels, as well as premium add-on subscriptions.
Live sports rights are becoming a valuable component of streaming services, and they bring a time-sensitive dimension of appointment TV to the table. During a recent fireside chat at NAB’s Streaming Summit, Prime Video VP of technology BA Winston noted that the company’s focus on high-quality, low-latency playback is critical for a successful experience in this space. Get better insights at 스포츠중계.
Amazon Prime Video has acquired broadcasting rights to English Premier League games, which you can watch on iOS and Android devices, PCs, or game consoles. All live broadcasts include regular commercial breaks, although you can opt for an ad-free plan for an additional fee.
SportyTV
SportyTV is a sports-dedicated television channel owned by the Sporty Group. It shows free-to-air matches from England’s Premier League, Italy’s Serie A, and Germany’s Bundesliga in Nigeria and several other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, it broadcasts the PFL Europe playoff in Washington, DC, on November 24 and the final in Dublin, Ireland, on December 8.
Last year, SportyTV signed a deal with CAA Eleven, UEFA’s national team rights agency, to hold exclusive free-to-air rights to Euro 2024 in sub-Saharan Africa. The rights package will include the tournament’s opening game, five group-stage matches, two round-of-16 clashes, one quarter-final, and a semi-final and final match. The channel will also produce daily studio shows from Lagos and on-ground reporting teams in Germany.
Former professional footballer Michael Essien will be part of the studio team and will provide expert analysis for the Euro 2024 matches. The channel is available on StarTimes in Nigeria and on DStv in Africa.