SportsTribal TV, a free, ad-supported sports streaming service that will use Red Bee Media’s OTT platform, is to launch later this year.
SportsTribal TV said today (Wednesday) that it is in talks with a range of global sports bodies, leagues, teams and publishers ahead of the launch.
The service will feature a line-up of “established digital sports entertainment channels” and will initially go live on mobile and web platforms, before rolling out across connected TV and streaming platforms in 2021.
Specific details of the content SportsTribal TV will offer have not yet been revealed, but it has promised to showcase traditional and non-traditional sports, as well as “niche and micro-niche” sports, social creators and sports storytellers.
Frank Bowe, founder and chief executive of SportsTribal TV, said: “There are many sports organisations and content publishers who are having a hard time reaching fans and monetising their valuable and exclusive video content. Either because they can’t attract the attention of big broadcasters or because they don’t have the financial and technical resources to launch a direct-to-consumer OTT offering themselves.
“SportsTribal TV solves this problem by offering marginalised sports, rights owners and digital sports publishers their rightful place at the OTT table, turning new and existing video assets into 24/7 linear streaming channels, distributed on our ad-supported sports TV guide.
“Our model is based on revenue-sharing and mutual success, with no heavy upfront or running investments for our sports partners, who gain access to our global OTT distribution infrastructure.”
Bowe was previously business development director at Accedo.tv, the video software company, and chief commercial officer at TVPlayer, the UK-based OTT platform. He incorporated Sportstribal Limited as a UK-based company in May 2018.
SportsTribal TV said it has chosen UK-based Red Bee Media’s managed OTT platform to power the 24/7 service due to its experience in linear channel management and global playout services.
Red Bee’s OTT platform supports all content formats, including linear, live, catch-up and on-demand, as well as the full range of monetisation options.
Last year, Red Bee was contracted by the Spring Media agency to create ‘Wnited’, an international OTT platform for women’s football. The service is offering a total of over 300 live matches and various video-on-demand content, with a mixture of free-to-view and subscriptions available.
Red Bee has also worked with Fox Sports Netherlands to provide the pay-television broadcaster with IP-based Master Control Room services. The multi-year deal, signed last December, allows Fox Sports to use Red Bee’s Global MCR platform, based in the Dutch city of Hilversum, to provide high-end sports content to its viewers.