Facebook to live stream Champions League fixtures following Fox Sports deal
Facebook will live stream Uefa Champions League matches next season as part of a new deal with Fox Sports.
Facebook will live stream more than dozen Champions League games next season
The partnership will see Fox Sports air more than a dozen Champions League fixtures in the US through the Fox Sports Facebook Page from the onset of the tournament in September.
The deal includes the right to stream double-headers during the group stage, four round-of-16 games and four quarterfinal games.
"Facebook is a social media powerhouse and a great partner to help us grow soccer in the United States,” said David Nathanson, head of business operations, Fox Sports. “As people spend more and more time on mobile devices and social networks, offering matches on this platform is a natural extension."
Dan Reed, head of global Sports Partnerships, Facebook, added: “This collaboration unlocks new distribution for Fox, giving the network a national platform for matches that won't always be televised. And with different matches broadcast in English and Spanish on Facebook, our community of fans will have plenty of action to cheer on and chat about once the group stage kicks off in September.”
Considering 34 million people had 98 million interactions on Facebook related to this year's Champions League final, the deal is by far the biggest live sports agreement Facebook has struck.
The social network has been steadily expanding its sports coverage and recently struck a similar content deal with MLB, plus an agreement with the MLS to live stream at least 22 regular-season fixtures.
Uefa has been keen to grow the international reach of its prized tournament in recent seasons and has allowed its broadcast partners to leverage social media in order to capture new audiences. For the past two seasons BT has shown the final for free on YouTube and has also inked a landmark deal with Snapchat.