The Matchroom Sport agency and promoter is to launch a global streaming platform, offering access to its portfolio of events.
Developed by sports streaming and technology company StreamAMG, the agency said Matchroom Live will launch in the spring, hosting a “unique selection” of its catalogue of sports to form a multi-sport offering.
The first live broadcast on Matchroom Live will be of the first three days, running from April 13-15, of the 2020 US Open Pool Championship, which will be made available for free worldwide.
Moving forward, Matchroom Live will offer live broadcasts of Matchroom Sport’s portfolio of events in territories where broadcast rights have not been sold. These include the PDC World Darts Championship and Premier League Darts, pool’s Mosconi Cup and World Pool Championship, plus the World Snooker Championship and The Masters.
Event highlights, full replays and an extensive catalogue of on-demand content covering all of Matchroom’s portfolio of events will be made available worldwide free of charge. Primarily, Matchroom Live will offer subscription packages and pay-per-view options. However, archive footage from past events will be available to watch free.
Matchroom Live will be provided through a dedicated video-first website and on mobile with the ability to cast to virtually any device. The services will also allow fans to watch up to four live events at once through the ‘QuadPlay’ offering.
StreamAMG is a long-standing partner to Matchroom Sport and has operated the PDC.tv darts platform since 2016. The company also streamed Anthony Joshua v Andy Luiz II for boxing fans in the Indian subcontinent in December.
Barry Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Sport, said: “Matchroom Live will allow us to reach new audiences, grow our international presence and offer world-class entertainment for fans across the globe. StreamAMG’s track record makes them a fantastic partner to launch this service and provide an excellent experience for viewers worldwide.”
In January, World Snooker, the commercial arm of the sport, rebranded to World Snooker Tour (WST) stating its ambition to launch an “exciting new online platform” and double prize money over the next decade. In 2010, World Snooker was taken over by Matchroom Sport.
Matchroom’s announcement comes a day after international sports streaming service DAZN announced details of its new global service, which will initially be focused on boxing, will launch in over 200 countries in time for Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez’s super-middleweight fight on May 2.
The English-language service will be able to showcase DAZN’s international rights to various fightcards through tie-ups with promoters such as Golden Boy Promotions, Matchroom Boxing USA and GGG Promotions. Mexico’s Álvarez is one of DAZN’s star attractions and is expected to fight Britain’s Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith on May 2.