UEFA, the governing body of European football, is developing an OTT streaming service that will compliment the organization’s existing broadcast partners. The platform is expected to offer a variety of European soccer content, focusing on underserved areas of the sport, including women’s soccer. “It is not ready yet, but we are building our own OTT platform to go further with the content,” said Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA, in an interview with Spanish media outlet Palco23. “We are not looking to compete with [TV channels], but complement them due to the wide opportunity we have,” Epstein said. OTT content could include recaps, delayed games, behind-the-scenes access, futsal, and women’s and youth competitions. “It also gives us the possibility to talk directly with our fans; it’s a massive change in the way we build our community.” “The media panorama has evolved a lot, creating many opportunities to be always ‘on,'” he added. SportTechie Takeaway UEFA’s flagship men’s tournaments such as the Champions League and Europa League now streams on B/R Live in the U.S. and on Facebook in Latin America. Adding an in-house streaming platform could create another revenue stream for UEFA through sponsorship opportunities, but it could also help smaller federations within its 55 member group gain visibility. The WNBA is an example of how women’s leagues can leverage digital partnerships successfully. The league screened 20 games this past season on Twitter, and is hoping to broaden the appeal of its athletes through the social streaming platform SportsCaster.
European football governing body UEFA is developing an over-the-top streaming service aimed at providing a wider variety of football content. Such content could include women's and youth football, delayed games, highlights, behind-the-scenes features and futsal. The new service, which will be available to all users in the EU from next year, would allow fans to watch live matches on their mobile devices or tablets without having to buy any additional equipment.