Livesport.tv, the net-based sports broadcaster, is all set to launch 50 channels on Facebook.
The London-based company that’s part of the Perform Group, is set to bring live and syndicated content – including football from South American and Italian leagues, Rugby League and live boxing matches – to the social network, with punters paying to watch using Facebook Credits.
Shorter clips and interviews with Premier League players will be available to view on-demand for free. Facebook Credits, available in £10 and £20 vouchers, can be bought in Tesco and Game stores.
The idea is that when you’re watching a game through a Livesport.tv channel on the Facebook app, notifications will be automatically sent out to friends to let them what you’re watching and will invite them to join. Then you’ll be able to chat with friends in real time.
Perform’s joint chief executive Oliver Slipper, speaking to the Financial Times says that the Livesport.tv deal with Facebook is mainly about reaching out to niche audiences.
“Our live content predominantly is not available on television – it’s niche interest content. There are 10,000-20,000 hardcore Aussie rules football fans in the UK and integrating with Facebook is another way to reach those people as effectively as possible.”
Other sports covered by Livesport.tv besides AFL football includes Fightcode and OneFC marital arts, FIH hockey and Big Bash T20 Cricket. Livesport.tv already broadcasts live 3D sports footage through LG’s Cinema 3D range of Smart TV as well as regular 2D broadcasts on YouTube.
Livesport.tv’s Facebook app already lets you sign up for subscriptions on 7-day, or monthly basis depending on the sport. So if you’re already a subscriber you’ll be able to watch on Facebook, or login through Livesport.tv’s site as normal. Facebook Credits lets you watch matches or games on an on-demand basis instead of having to sign up.
We’ve contacted Perform Group for more information on exactly how the pricing breaks down.
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