Eleven buys out One World Sports distribution to enter US market

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has reached a deal to acquire “certain distribution assets” of troubled US broadcaster One World Sports.

Confirmation of the deal came after reports surfaced in recent weeks of freelance contributors not being paid in full, and at the weekend the One World Sports channel was rebranded as Eleven Sports.

Eleven said that it would be available in 50 million homes through carriage deals with the likes of AT&T, DirecTV, Verizon, Charter and NCTC.

“Eleven Sports will build a strong portfolio of rights in the US from sports including cycling, ice hockey, basketball, soccer, rugby, lacrosse, cricket, drone racing and other millennial-focused sports, with specific information about those rights being made public in the near future,” Eleven said.

Further details of the deal were not disclosed.

In November, One World Sports chief executive Sandy Brown said the broadcaster was in talks over a takeover and retained an “extremely bright future” amid reports of its employees being sent on periods of leave.

One World Sports was formed in 2010 and its content primarily consisted of North American Soccer League games, along with other football content. It also televises the England national cricket team’s home internationals, ice hockey’s Kontinental Hockey League and Champions Hockey League, Chinese Basketball Association events and the OneAsia golf tour.