DUBAI: A total of 26 broadcasters and streaming channels have obtained exclusive rights to screen Saudi Pro League games in various territories around the world when the new season kicks off on Friday, Arab News has learned.
They include live sports streaming service DAZN, which has the rights in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and the UK, YouTube channel Canal Goat, which will screen games in Brazil, and free-to-air channel LA7 in Italy, according to a source.
DAZN said it will stream three matches each week, beginning with Friday’s season opener between Al-Ahli Saudi and Al-Hazm, both of whom are newly promoted to the top flight. Sky Sports had picked up the UK digital rights to the league, also known as the Roshn Saudi League, halfway through last season but DAZN was the first to commit to a whole season.
SPOTV on Tuesday said it had signed a two-year deal to screen three games live each week across territories in Asia, including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau and Malaysia.
LA7, which is owned by Cairo Communication, has secured a two-year deal and plans to broadcast one top game each week, according to a statement.
The deals were negotiated by IMG, following the extension of its exclusive agreement with SPL to manage the distribution of international broadcast rights for the Roshn Saudi League for the next two seasons.
The agreement also includes deals with major European broadcasters Canal+ (France), Sport TV (Portugal), Marca.com (Spain) and Cosmote (Greece), among others.
Starting this season, IMG will also produce the live world feed, including graphics and English commentary.
Additionally, IMG’s digital team Seven League will manage the league’s social channels and digital content output, while SNTV, the joint venture between The Associated Press and IMG, will feature news packages that will be delivered to over 400 media organizations across broadcast, digital and social platforms worldwide.
Saad Allazeez, interim CEO of the SPL said: “These agreements come at a time of genuine growth for Saudi Arabian football, with growing interest in the Roshn Saudi league from football fans all around the world.”
In the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Chad, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia, and Sudan, audiences can continue to follow the league on their regular channels. The games will continu to be broadcast on MBC’s Shahid platform and the Saudi Sports Company’s channels.
The broadcast deals will see the SPL aired on 48 platforms and TV broadcasters in over 170 countries worldwide.
The SPL officially launched the 2023-24 season with a star-studded event at Al-Jawhara Hall in Jeddah on Sunday night.
Excitement for the upcoming campaign is running high among fans worldwide, following the signing during the summer by a number of Saudi clubs of big-name international stars, including Jordan Henderson, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. They join Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed for Al-Nassr in December last year.
