Media

Sportradar agrees long-term US Soccer rights deal

Published

1 year ago

August 23, 2023

Sportradar has agreed a global, long-term rights partnership with US Soccer for the federation’s data and content, covering a period US Soccer chief Ross Moses has labelled “unprecedented” for American soccer.

For both the US and international markets, Sportradar can collect, licence and distribute US Soccer’s official betting and media data. It can also supply live AV streaming of US Soccer competitions for betting purposes, available outside of the US.

Furthermore, Sportradar and US Soccer will collaborate for bespoke, data-driven solutions with the aim of deepening fan relationships while attracting and engaging new supporters of the US team.

The more than 111 matches per year covered in the deal comprise of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, in which Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami CF team visit FC Cincinnati in one of the two semi-finals on August 23.

The SheBelieves Cup is also included, following the success of the Women’s World Cup this summer. Next year, the deal will cover the Copa America and the Concacaf W Gold Cup, before also comprising the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup – set to be partially hosted in the US – and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. US Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation have also launched a combined bid to host the next edition of the Women’s World Cup in 2027.

US Soccer will employ Sportradar’s Integrity Services for bet monitoring through products such as the Universal Fraud Detection System.

Eric Conrad, executive vice president, Strategic Partnerships & Content at Sportradar, said: “The profile of soccer globally across both the men’s and women’s game is the highest it’s ever been. At this important moment for the sport, this partnership reflects the shared commitment we have with US Soccer to bring the sport to a larger audience both domestically and on an international level.

“We know that when fans place bets on a game, their interest in the sport intensifies. I am confident that our scale, technology and leadership in the market will position us to effectively monetise these rights with a strong focus on future value creation.”

Ross Moses, vice president of Business Ventures at US Soccer, added the partnership covers an area that can “accelerate the growth of our sport and connect new partners to important growth demographics,” pointing to the next four years as an “unprecedented opportunity for American soccer.”

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Ambrose Ijeh

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Media

How To Stream AC Milan vs Liverpool Match Online For Free

Published

2 months ago

September 17, 2024

Ambrose Ijeh

How To Stream AC Milan vs Liverpool Match Online For Free

An online streaming service has exclusive rights to the big Champions League match – but it’s easy to watch it for free.

Liverpool will be returning to the Champions League on Tuesday night, hoping to get back to winning ways on the opening night of the new campaign, facing old foes AC Milan.

The side, who previously faced Milan in the 2005 and 2007, suffered a 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, so they will be hoping to get back to winning ways this week.

However, Milan have also had a tumultuous ride so far, with the team currently in 9th after four games, despite a solid 4-0 win over Venezia at the weekend.

It’s shaping up to be a thrilling match, then, with both teams having plenty to prove, and you can watch it for free on Amazon Prime Video.

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Ambrose Ijeh

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Media

LaLiga Signs 2024-25 Broadcast Deal With China Media Group

Published

2 months ago

September 11, 2024

Ambrose Ijeh

LaLiga Signs 2024-25 Broadcast Deal With China Media Group

Spanish soccer’s top-tier LaLiga has unveiled state-run China Media Group (CMG) as its official broadcast partner in the country.

Through a deal announced today, CMG returns as a Chinese broadcaster of the 20-team Spanish league.

The tie-up has come with the 2024-25 campaign already four matchdays in and follows a memorandum of understanding between the two parties in late July.

Last season (2023-24), LaLiga action was shown in China by the Migu streaming service, while rights for 2024-25 have also been snapped up by the iQiyi digital broadcaster.

Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has said: “China remains a key market for LaLiga, and we are thrilled to bring our league’s unique passion and excitement to Chinese fans through one of the most influential media platforms in the country.”

Over the last few weeks, LaLiga has been scrambling to add more partners to its stable of broadcasters for this season.

Earlier this month, a significant deal across numerous African markets was unveiled with SportyTV, while mid-August saw BeIN Sports extend its exclusive rights deals across the Middle East and North Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

Domestically, DAZN and Movistar are the main rights-holders through deals running between 2022 and 2027.

Sportcal

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Ambrose Ijeh

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Belgium’s Pro League Launches Five-Season Domestic Rights Tender

Published

2 months ago

September 11, 2024

Ambrose Ijeh

Belgian soccer’s top-tier Pro League has gone to market with a domestic media rights tender for the five seasons between 2025 and 2030.

The tender was launched recently (September 9), and the Pro League is being strategically supported by the heavyweight IMG agency – through a deal unveiled last October – during the process.

The deadline for prospective rights-holders to submit bids is October 16, with a Pro League general assembly to then evaluate the bids on October 18.

Interested parties can obtain the tender documents by contacting tender2025@proleague.be.

The 16-team Pro League’s domestic and international rights are currently held by global sports streaming service DAZN – which acquired previous rights-holder Eleven Sports in 2023 – in a five-year deal running through the 2024-25 season. Eleven tapped sports agency Mediapro to distribute international rights in partnership with the league.

In total, eight rights packages are available for purchase – three specifically for the Pro League (others cover the second-tier Challenger Pro League and various domestic cup competitions).

A new development in this tender is that the packages are platform-neutral, meaning they cover both linear and streaming rights.

In terms of kick-off times for games across the five seasons covered by the tender, meanwhile, the Pro League has said these “remain virtually unchanged.”

IMG, meanwhile, also has a contract in place to collect and commercialize the Pro League’s fastpath data in a five-year agreement with European Leagues running from 2022-23 to 2027-28.