Eleven Sports acquires Netherlands, Chinese and Swedish football rights
James R | On 19, Jul 2018
Sports streaming service Eleven Sports has added to its growing portfolio in the UK and Ireland with the acquisition of live, exclusive rights to top flight domestic football from the Eredivisie (Netherlands), the Chinese Super League and Allsvenskan (Sweden).
Coverage of the Eredivisie will start with the upcoming 2018/19 season, coverage of the Allsvenskan will start with the currently ongoing 2018 season, and the Chinese Super League will begin on Eleven Sports from the 2019 season.
The three-year agreements with each league ensures fans in the UK and Ireland can enjoy wall-to-wall football on Eleven Sports 1 every week with live action from five global leagues – including LaLiga and Serie A.
The Eredivisie offers fans the chance to watch all the action featuring European giants Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord. The premier Dutch league also has a reputation for nurturing some of best talents in the game with graduates including; Denis Bergkamp, Luis Suarez, Robin van Persie, Christian Eriksen, Virgil Van Dijk and most recently, Justin Kluivert, who signed for Serie A side AS Roma in June.
Former Premier League players Ramires, Graziano Pellè, Jose Fonte, Javier Mascherano, Oscar and John Obi Mikel all ply their trade in the Chinese Super League alongside Belgium’s FIFA World Cup Semi-Finalists Axel Witsel and Yann Carrasco. Former Wales manager Chris Coleman, who steered his nation to the Semi-Finals of Euro 2016, has also recently taken over as Head Coach at Hebei China Fortune.
“With Eredivisie, Chinese Super League and Allsvenskan joining LaLiga and Serie A, Eleven Sports is delivering on the promise to become the go-to destination for football fans.” said Danny Menken, Group Managing Director, Eleven Sports. “We will cooperate very closely with the leagues to deliver an outstanding all-round service that ensures the fans live every moment from some of the world’s best sports leagues and competitions. We are looking forward to announcing more premium football and non-football rights soon to add to our growing portfolio.”
The over-the-top subscription service will launch in the UK later this summer. Watch this space for more details.