International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has partnered with social media platform Facebook ahead of its upcoming launch in the UK and Ireland.
Facebook will serve as Eleven’s free-to-air partner in the two countries. The length of the deal was not disclosed, but as part of the agreement one football match per week from both Spain’s LaLiga and Italy’s Serie A will be shown live and free on Eleven’s UK Facebook page.
The first Serie A match that will be shown as part of the agreement will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut for Juventus against Chievo on August 18. A range of other games from top-flight leagues will also be available on Facebook throughout the upcoming season, with Eleven also holding rights to the Dutch Eredivisie, Chinese Super League and Swedish Allsvenskan.
In-game highlights and clips, along with weekly review shows and socially-led content will also be showcased on Facebook as Eleven seeks to drive engagement in the UK and Ireland. Eleven’s Facebook page will also show the first two rounds of golf major the PGA Championship in full this Thursday and Friday.
“By making Facebook our free-to-air partner, we are giving our leading content centre stage projection, opening it up to new and diverse audiences, and confirming again our innovative leadership in the global sports media industry,” Danny Menken, group managing director at Eleven Sports, said.
“In all our global markets we want to be where the fans are. We aim to serve fan communities and develop interaction and engagement around our content, while ensuring we are always accessible and easy to reach. Our unique free-to-air partnership with Facebook helps us to do this as part of our fresh and contemporary approach to distribution.”
Eleven said that it is also in discussions with other major platforms in the UK and Ireland to offer the “widest possible access” to its rights. The broadcaster is also set to launch an online streaming platform for customers in the UK and Ireland.
Eleven last week revealed its pricing strategy for the UK and Ireland, with customers able to subscribe to a Monthly Pass for £5.99 (€7/$8) per month in the UK or €6.99 ($8) per month in Ireland. A seven-day free trial will also be on offer with the Monthly Pass.
An Early Bird Annual Pass will be available for a one-off payment of £49.99 or €59.99. This offer will be valid through to August 31, after which the price will rise to £59.99 and €69.99, respectively.