With streaming media usage soaring, the founders of EverSport are working to expand the sports available on their streaming platform with new rights deals.
Most recently, the company inked deals for rights to stream the Central American Games (Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos), AFF Suzuki Cup, EAFF Asia Cup and Axiata Cup.
The agreements marked the first time that the Central American Games and EAFF Asia Cup would be streamed to worldwide sports fans.
There are a number of very popular sporting events from around “that fans don’t have any way to access because the economics don’t make sense for linear TV,” explains co-founder Carl Kirchhoff. “We saw a tremendous opportunity to aggregate a lot of sports content from around the world and use modern technologies to reach viewers who are very dedicated and willing to pay.”
The company’s co-founders, Wayne Sieve, formerly with Ustream and Yahoo! Sports, and Kirchhoff, former head of sales at Global Sportnet, also have many years of experience in the global sports business, which is helping them secure new deals, they say.
In addition, rights holders have been increasingly interested in steaming as a way of expanding their fan base, Sieve notes.
Other EverSport streaming deals include agreements with IEC, MP & Silva, North American broadcaster One World Sports and Quattro Sports. They’ve also streamed high-profile sporting events such as the 2014 Asia Games and the New Zealand All Blacks vs. Team USA Rugby match, which were previously unavailable in most markets around the world.
In addition to working on new deals for sports rights, they also see opportunities in alliances with streaming media device makers. “We’re available on the web and wireless and we’re in conversation with Roku and others,” including Sony, says Kirchhoff.
“Sports is a very highly desirable vertical for those platforms,” Sieve says.
