Fox Sports and Facebook have partnered to stream UEFA Champions League games via Facebook Live.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Fox Sports said that matches would be streamed in the U.S. on its Fox Sports Facebook Page, while the Fox Deportes Facebook Page would carry games in Spanish. The streaming will begin in September, during the competition’s group stage.
“Facebook is a social media powerhouse and a great partner to help us grow soccer in the United States,” David Nathanson, Fox Sports’ head of business operations, said in a statement.
“As people spend more and more time on mobile devices and social networks, offering matches on this platform is a natural extension,” he added. “This year’s UEFA Champions League final saw 34 million people have 98 million interactions on Facebook, so we are thrilled to be able to offer top-notch content to their immense soccer community.”
The Champions League is Europe’s elite soccer competition, and sees the continent’s most prestigious clubs face off against each other. Real Madrid are the current holders, while past winners include Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Dan Reed, Facebook’s head of global sports partnerships, described the Champions League as “one of the biggest football tournaments in the world,” and added Facebook was “thrilled to partner with Fox Sports to deliver live matches to fans on Facebook in the U.S. next season.”
“This collaboration unlocks new distribution for Fox, giving the network a national platform for matches that won’t always be televised,” Reed added. “And with different matches broadcast in English and Spanish on Facebook, our community of fans will have plenty of action to cheer on and chat about once the group stage kicks off in September.”
