The UK division of sports streaming service Eleven Sports is at risk of closing just four months after going on air, the Daily Telegraph report.
A failure to secure distribution deals with established broadcasters is reportedly one of the root causes of the distress, and things have got to the stage that the UFC have pulled out of their exclusive broadcast deal, which was meant to start in January. That deal obliged Eleven Sports to secure a wide-spread distribution platform for fights, which meant making itself available on traditional platforms like Sky TV, BT or Virgin.
Talks with Virgin and Eleven Sports have collapsed however, and Sky and BT have yet to engage.
The UFC may now return to BT Sport.
With the UFC now gone, the Telegraph report that the streaming service are in crisis talks to rescue their other rights. At the start of the season, they acquired exclusive rights to show Serie A and La Liga in Ireland and the UK, but are now reportedly willing to have them handed back and resold while retaining rights to stream the games at a discount.
Since launching in the UK, Eleven Sports have only attracted around 50,000 subscribers.
The streaming service operates more successfully in other European countries, including Portugal and Italy.
[The Telegraph
