UK sports fans will be afforded free-to-air access to a wealth of content with the launch of a new television channel tomorrow (Thursday).
A sister channel of pay-television broadcaster Premier Sports, FreeSports will be available via operators Freeview, TalkTalk, BT, Sky and FreeSat, with claims that over 10 million UK homes will be granted access to a 24/7 sports channel for the first time.
The Mirror newspaper said the channel has been formed in partnership with the IMG, Infront Sports & Media, Lagardère Sports, MP & Silva, and Pitch agencies, with Sky Media managing advertising.
FreeSports’ football content will include two live games per week from the Portuguese Primeira Liga, three games from Belgium’s Pro League, two from Argentina’s Superliga and one from Spain’s Segunda Division. It will also show content from the club channels of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund, while its launch will be marked by live coverage of England’s opening qualifying game for the Uefa Under-21 Championships against the Netherlands on Friday.
Rugby league content will include select live games from Australian club competition the NRL, 2017 World Cup matches and games from the UK’s second-tier Championship. Australian motor-racing series the Supercars Championship will also be showcased, along with lower-tier series from North American stock-car racing series Nascar and the Elitserien, the top-tier speedway league in Sweden.
FreeSports will also provide three live games per week from North American ice hockey league the NHL, along with the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championships, the Champions Hockey League and Swedish Hockey League.
Asian mixed martial arts promotion One Championship will receive monthly coverage, while over 25 ATP 250 men’s tennis events will be showcased live per year, along with French horse racing and coverage of show jumping from the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) including the Nations Cup
FreeSports general manager Richard Sweeney said: “We are super excited to be launching this new free-to-air sports channel which marks a first for our business and a first in the UK TV market. We believe our new service will be welcomed and enjoyed by UK consumers, many of whom don’t have access to a dedicated live sports channel.”