England vs. Ukraine Free Online Streaming
6th October, 2009
Reports from eGaming Review say that Bet 365 has bought the rights to the Ukraine vs. England world cup qualifier match to be played on the 10th October. This is the first ever England match that’s rights were bought solely for internet broadcast.
Perform group, who also runs the watchandbet service which sells live sports for online broadcast to major online bookies, held talks with major publishing companies, internet providers and online operators with regard to the sale of the rights.
In addition to the Bet 365 website the game will be available on newspaper sites, The Times and The Sun on a pay per view basis on UkrainevEngland.com. However Bet365 will be offering account holders the chance to watch the match for free.
John Coates, chief executive of Bet365 said, “We stream over 5,000 events live a year, so when good quality matches become available, we look to see if we can secure them. The fact that none of the UK television companies have taken the rights makes the broadcast more significant, and we are pleased to be able to make the game available for free for customers with a funded account.”
England has already secured its place for next year’s South African world cup. The Ukraine game will be a test of the revenue internet broadcasting of international games can produce.
The rights to England’s group games were originally bought by Setanta. However, since the company’s collapse they reverted to international agency Kentaro who decided to go with the live pay per view option.
Bet365 is one of many online bookies who have invested heavily in football marketing recently.
By Faye
