Would YOU ditch Sky Sports to watch a Facebook live stream?
FACEBOOK is purportedly in the market for the global streaming rights to some of the biggest sports, according to an intriguing new report.
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Would you ditch a Sky Sports or BT Sport subscription to stream the latest Premier League, IPL Cricket or NFL fixtures on Facebook?
Well, Facebook certainly seems to think you would.
According to a new report from Sports Business Journal, the California-based social network is interviewing candidates to negotiate worldwide sports streaming rights.
The successful will purportedly be handed "a few billion dollars" to spend on global streaming deals.
Facebook is not the first Silicon Valley company to show interest in streaming rights for popular sport fixtures, with Twitter paying $10 million for the rights to stream Thursday night NFL games in 2016, and Amazon coughing up $50 million for the same privilege this year.
It’s no surprise that Facebook is interested in sport streaming rights.
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The US company has increasingly turned its focus to video over the last few years, even discussing plans to produce its own original content in the future.
Streaming must-watch sport fixtures – whether it’s NFL, Premier League, World Cup, or otherwise – seems like a no-brainer.
According to sources speaking to Sports Business Journal and Recode, Facebook bid $600 million (£450 million) spread over the next five years for the rights to stream Indian Premier League Cricket.
The company was ultimately outbid by Star network, which bid $2.6 billion (£1.9 billion) for combined TV and streaming rights.
While it’s clear Facebook is willing to open its chequebook for the opportunity to stream sport on its social network, it’s still not quite in the same league as traditional television broadcasters.
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However, should the streaming and television broadcast rights be unbundled in future negotiations – it’s possible Facebook could snag them from traditional broadcasters, including Star Network, Sky and BT.
There’s no specific mention of the Premier League in the report from Sports Business Journal which is centred on the NFL.
However, the Premier League remains the most-watched sports league in the world – broadcast in 212 territories.
With those numbers, it’s highly-likely Facebook’s new streaming negotiator will look into the possibility of streaming matches on the social network.
Facebook currently boasts 2.07 billion monthly active users.
Sky Sports and BT Sports already offer comprehensive solutions for those looking to watch live sport events online, thanks to a slew of mobile and tablet apps, video game console players, as well as an online stream.
