Twitch launches sports channel with backing from Real Madrid and Juventus

Amazon’s game streaming platform Twitch has announced the launch of a dedicated sports content channel in partnership with a number of top football clubs.

The streamer has signed deals with newly crowned Spanish champions Real Madrid, along with Serie A leaders Juventus, Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and English FA Cup finalists Arsenal.

All of the clubs will utilise the platform to expand their live content, with Twitch initially collaborating with the clubs to produce behind-the-scenes content. The deals also have the scope to be expanded to broadcast live youth and first-team friendly matches along with club press conferences on the platform.

The launch is also designed to help clubs reach the lucrative younger audiences which populate Twitch and who may not be as present on the social media platforms typically utilised by this viewership – more than 70% of Twitch’s audience is under the age of 34.

The announcement also will see Twitch decouple sports from the platform’s health and fitness category, and make /twitchsports into its own section of the site.

In addition to content from the aforementioned football clubs, the sports channel will also house programming from the NBA, UFC and House of Highlights.

Amazon is increasingly viewing Twitch as a viable platform for live sports streaming, having recently experimented with broadcasting a number of matches from the English Premier League’s restart on the platform.

In addition, Twitch recently won the exclusive international broadcast rights for the US’s National Women’s Soccer League and it is believed that Amazon is seeking the rights for similarly sized competitions.