BeIN Sports teams with Screach for Australian hospitality market

Global sports network beIN Sports has teamed up with the Screach streaming platform to deliver its coverage of football and tennis to commercial venues across Australia.

Launched in Australia in 2014, beIN Sports holds the exclusive Australian broadcast rights to more than 1,000 football matches a year, including all fixtures in Italy’s Serie A, English Football League, Carabao Cup, Scottish Premiership, and French Ligue 1. On Friday, beIN Sports announced its acquisition of Bundesliga broadcasting rights for the next three seasons.

The service is also the home of top-tier world tennis, holding the Australian rights to all ATP and WTA tour events, as well as the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.

In July beIN Sports ended a partnership with the Australian pay TV service Foxtel to deliver its content exclusively through streaming.

Australian sports fans can already watch its three channels live and on demand on their own devices or smart TV via the beIN Sports Connect streaming service.

The broadcaster’s partnership with Screach, a cloud-based streaming and advertising platform for commercial venues, will bring its content to bars, hotels and cafés across Australia for the first time.

The Screach app, which is available in 157 countries, aggregates live sports channels and gives venues access via subscription to HD quality broadcasts that increase both footfall and sales.

The platform was developed by the UK tech firm Screenreach and is already being used in Europe by Amazon Prime to distribute its Ligue 1 football coverage.

Robert Rawlinson, CEO of Screenreach, said: “beIN’s decision to partner with Screach gives them first mover advantage in Australia, which is great news for them, for Australian sport fans and for commercial venue operators alike.

“Screach’s streaming technology offers a twin solution for forward-thinking rights holders such as beIN who recognise the value of the enterprise space, not just as a source of commercial subscriptions but also as a powerful way to engage with individual fans who go to commercial venues to watch sports.

“Meanwhile our platform offers venues a single, aggregated content solution with additional features that help them get a return on their investment in sports subscriptions.

“We’ve proven our pioneering technology through our partnerships with streaming giants like Amazon Prime and global sports brands like the NFL. Australia’s vibrant commercial venue market has long been a target for us, and we now look forward to working with beIN to roll out our next generation streaming platform across Australia and, in time, other territories where they own sports rights.”

Mike Kerr, Managing Director of beIN ASIA PACIFIC, said: “Incorporating live sports broadcasts in Australia is a hugely important part of our local content offering as it cultivates a dynamic atmosphere that not only attracts fans but also deepens their engagement, fostering a sense of camaraderie and excitement that transcends beyond the screen.

“Our partnership with Screach now gives licensed venues across Metro and Regional Australia instant and frictionless access to our premium football, tennis and rugby content.

“We selected Screach as its solution offers beIN a low risk, capital and operational cost-efficient but highly effective way to service and grow the important commercial premises offering in this market.”