Uefa to live stream Euro 2016 matches after some broadcasters snub asking fee
Uefa has decided to live stream coverage of 28 matches at Euro 2016 after some broadcasters snubbed the €10m (£8m) asking fee for the rights packages.
The European governing football body announced that it will show the fixtures from the competition live in Spain and Venezuela on the Uefa website.
The decision is indicative of the changing nature of sports broadcasting, however similar moves from the likes of the NFL, which agreed a deal with Twitter to live stream Thursday night football, have been motivated by lucrative contracts with the digital platforms.
Uefa’s move was prompted after CAA Eleven, the agency acting on behalf of the governing body, failed to broker deals for the rights packages in Spain and Venezuela.
In May, commercial broadcaster Mediaset picked up rights for 23 of the tournament’s matches, including those featuring the Spain team and the knockout round games.
However, Mediaset and pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports reportedly refused to pay a fee of €10m ($11.4m) for the remaining matches, which include fixtures such as Italy v Belgium.
Facebook has been one of the most popular destinations for live streams of sports, prompting speculation that the social media giant would begin snapping up rights itself, however the company’s sports sponsorship head ruled out actively bidding for more rights.
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