Enterprise streaming platform Screach has announced the launch of a new aggregated offering that allows commercial venues to show live pay-per-view events from a range of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) rights owners and promoters.
The first event, which will be delivered through its partnership with beIN Sports in Australia, will be this Saturday’s HEX Fight Series 28 event in Melbourne.
Screach said its exclusive partnership with beIN Sports will “enable commercial venue operators across Australia to tap into MMA’s surging popularity, allowing them to stream pay-per-view MMA events legally and with no ongoing subscription”.
Screach’s cloud-based streaming and advertising platform is available in 157 countries and aggregates live sports events, giving venues access to HD quality broadcasts. The company services both broadcast rights owners such as beIN SPORTS, who hold the rights to a string of MMA events worldwide, “as well as individual MMA promoters who haven’t been able to secure broadcast agreements in a particular territory”.
The Screach platform was developed by the UK tech firm Screenreach and is already being used in Europe by the streaming giant Amazon Prime, and global sports brands such as the NBA, to distribute live games direct to commercial venues.
Robert Rawlinson, CEO of Screenreach, explained, “The explosive growth in the popularity of MMA has been accompanied by a fragmentation in the way its most popular events are brought to market, some via incumbent broadcasters, others via direct-to-market streaming apps. With so much high-quality content being produced by a proliferation of MMA leagues and promotions, we feel there is a real need to offer venues a ‘one-stop-shop’ aggregation platform that serves both them and the rights owners.
“Screach democratises the pay-per-view model. We’re enabling commercial venues to use a single platform to show big draw events from multiple MMA leagues and promotions, with no need for a costly ongoing subscription. Meanwhile we’re giving MMA providers direct access to the enterprise space for the first time, and with it the chance to not only sell their content but also engage with thousands of individual fans who enjoy watching live sport with friends.”
Mike Kerr, managing director of beIN Asia Pacific, added, “MMA provides true ‘event TV’ that few other sports can rival, and we are thrilled to include the HEX Fight Series in our diverse sports offerings. Since August we’ve partnered with Screach to offer licensed venues across Australia frictionless access to our premium football, tennis and rugby content, and the addition of PPV MMA events will extend our reach in the enterprise space and enable us to engage new fans who enjoy the camaraderie and excitement of watching live sport together as a social experience.”
