Global Broadcaster beIN selects Screach to stream sport to Australia’s commercial venues

• beIN SPORTS has chosen the global enterprise streaming platform Screach to deliver its coverage of elite world football and tennis to thousands of bars, hotels and restaurants across Australia
• beIN SPORTS owns the Australian broadcast rights to more than 1000 top tier football matches a year, including the Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A, English Football League, Carabao Cup, Scottish Premiership, and France’s Ligue 1, as well as tennis’s ATP and WTA tours
• The global sports network streams direct to Australian fans via its beIN SPORTS CONNECT service, and from August, Australia’s 54,000 commercial venues will be able to show all its sport, live and on demand, via the Screach Smart TV App

London, 22^nd August 2023 – The global sports network beIN SPORTS has teamed up with the Screach streaming platform to deliver its coverage of elite world soccer and tennis to thousands of commercial venues across Australia.

Launched in Australia in 2014, beIN SPORTS holds the exclusive Australian broadcast rights to more than 1000 elite 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.

It’s 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. A global pioneer in streaming, in July beIN SPORTS parted company with the Australian pay television 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. Now the broadcaster’s partnership with Screach, a cloud-based streaming and advertising platform built specifically to meet the needs of 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. Data from the Australian Hotels Association shows Australia has 53,844 commercial venues, including pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants. It estimates that 60% of the country’s licensed venues regularly show live sport to attract customers.

The platform was developed by the UK tech firm Screenreach and is already being used in Europe by the global streaming giant Amazon Prime to distribute its exclusive Ligue 1 football coverage. The Screach solution integrates venue marketing and advertising capabilities – enabling venues to monetise their existing TV screens, boosting sales and generating incremental revenue to help offset their investment in live sports.

Its Australian partnership with beIN SPORTS could prove especially productive for the broadcaster; a global poll by YouGov¹ found that three in 10 Australians (29%) have already subscribed to a streaming platform to gain access to exclusive sports content, compared to a global average of 21%.

Every commercial venue using Screach to stream beIN SPORTS live content makes itself a magnet for sports fans and a showcase for the beIN offering – by delivering a ‘virtual’ free-to-air product to fans, it also increases awareness of the beIN SPORTS CONNECT consumer App.

Robert Rawlinson, CEO of Screenreach, commented:

“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, added:

“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.”

1. YouGov: The Global Sports Media Landscape, May 2023