Eleven Sports is the new kid on the block in regards to sports broadcasting this season, with the company gaining the rights to show La Liga, Serie A and the 2018 PGA Championship.
The business, founded by Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani, is set to use Facebook live in order to tempt viewers into signing up with the broadcaster, with a glut of events scheduled to be shown for free on the social media platform.
As per their website:
At least one match per week from both LaLiga and Serie A will be shown live and free of charge on ELEVEN SPORTS’ UK Facebook Page. A selection of games from the other top-flight football leagues available on ELEVEN SPORTS will also be shown on Facebook across the season.
Perhaps the biggest coup for viewers then is the opportunity to watch Cristiano Ronaldo's debut for Juventus, which is being broadcast free-to-air with Facebook. The match in question is Chievo versus Juventus, which takes place on August 18th at 5pm.
Here is the full schedule of free-to-air games to be shown on Facebook live for the first two weeks of the new season:
- Friday 17/08 - Girona v Valladolid (7.15pm)
- Saturday 18/08 - Chievo v Juventus (5pm)
- Monday 20/08 - Valencia v Atletico Madrid (7pm)
- Saturday 25/08 - Valladolid v Barcelona (9.15pm)
- Sunday 26/08 - Inter Milan v Torino (7.30pm)
Eleven Sports will also show the first two rounds of the 2018 PGA Championship, Aug. 9-10, in full, live on Facebook in the UK and Ireland.
Eleven Sports group managing director Danny Menken welcomed the partnership with the social media giant:
By making Facebook our free-to-air partner, we are giving our leading content centre stage projection, opening it up to new and diverse audiences, and confirming again our innovative leadership in the global sports media industry.
In all our global markets we want to be where the fans are. We aim to serve fan communities and develop interaction and engagement around our content, while ensuring we are always accessible and easy to reach.
Our unique free-to-air partnership with Facebook helps us to do this as part of our fresh and contemporary approach to distribution.
