Streaming portals offer high-profile live sport events from across the world. They are reshaping the way sport is consumed. They are bringing together multi-screen practices, so-called ‘datatainment’ and virtual spectatorship. They are also redefining the organisation of media sports rights markets according to exclusive national territories.
Drawing on Amanda Lotz’s conceptualisation of portals, this article proposes that they are accelerating a longer-standing trajectory of globalisation in which media systems and sports extend each other’s reach.
OTT live sport streaming
OTT live sport streaming platforms offer a unique opportunity for brands to reach sports fans in a variety of ways. From exclusive content rights to interactive features, these services are reshaping the sports-viewing experience. OTT platforms are also making significant investments in their sports-specific content offerings.
Moreover, portals are redefining multi-screen practices by allowing users to watch multiple events on different screens simultaneously or cut between them during the event’s duration. In this way, they are establishing new norms that challenge established conventions of media sport coverage and viewership.
These developments place live sport ‘at the crossroads’ of platform-based viewing habits, where it becomes possible to re-imagine sports events with customisable non-linear viewing experiences. This positioning is strengthened by the fact that selected portals curate on-demand sporting content, such as sponsored and independently produced documentaries, lifestyle and reality programmes (Lotz, 2014: 82). These services are transforming the global market for media sports rights and influencing media systems through which they circulate.
Tencent Video
Tencent Video is a popular Chinese streaming website, best known for its drama series. Its parent company, Tencent Holdings, is also renowned for its social media platform WeChat, which has over 900 million monthly active users. Its services include a range of genres, including TV shows, movies, animation, and sports.
Its OTT live sport coverage leverages the transnational architecture of the Internet to intervene in sports broadcasting rights markets and change how live sports are consumed across television, computer, tablet, and smartphone screens. Its broadcasting of major European and North American football leagues has made it one of the world’s most powerful online sports platforms. To deliver this service, Tencent relies on LiveU LU600 HEVC bonding units to provide high-quality images and low latency.
DAZN
A comparatively new sports streaming service, DAZN (pronounced “Da Zone”), makes it easier than ever for cord-cutters to find and watch live sport. The company originally launched in Austria, Germany, Japan and Switzerland in 2016, but has since expanded into Canada, the US, UK and Italy.
DAZN is home to premium competitions in boxing, MMA and extreme sport. It partners with matchroom, Golden Boy and other promoters involved in combat sports to secure live events for viewers. You can also watch sports on 스포츠중계.
In addition to boxing and MMA, DAZN has also been able to acquire rights for tennis, baseball, basketball, football and more. Due to tangled rights, some sports aren’t available in every country, but using a VPN can help you bypass these geo-restrictions. The company promises to eventually deliver a world of sport in 200 countries and territories.
Amazon Prime Video
During a fireside chat at the NAB Streaming Summit, Prime Video VP of technology BA Winston discussed sports rights as a key differentiator for the company’s streaming service. He noted that “with live sports, it’s all about the viewing experience.” He wants consumers to enjoy uninterrupted streams with low latency playback so they can see plays and moments as they happen.
Amazon acquired premium sport rights in 2017, including Thursday Night Football and the Premier League, and has a variety of content add-ons that offer additional international soccer coverage from Discovery Plus and ViX Premium, as well as national team soccer for MAX subscribers. It also offers a handful of original sports talk shows. Viewers can access Prime Video in a web browser and on compatible Internet-connected TVs, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, Fire tablets and other devices.
SportyTV
The Sporty Group has acquired a package of rights in sub-Saharan Africa to broadcast live matches from the English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A, and Germany’s Bundesliga. This will be complemented by daily studio shows produced in Lagos and on-ground reporting from Germany. The channel will also include former professional footballer Michael Essien as a pundit.
Sports journalists should ensure that their stream is high quality by using the right streaming equipment and ensuring a stable connection. They should also engage viewers to keep them interested and to create a more interactive experience.
In addition, they should consider a VPN provider that provides easy-to-use apps and includes 24/7 live chat support. This will help them avoid suspensions and unblock site-restricted streaming. This will also protect their privacy and security online.