England online World Cup game attracts 500,000 subscribers

LONDON - The UK's first FIFA World Cup qualifier game shown exclusively on the web and in cinemas attracted almost half a million football fans on Saturday, becoming Britain's biggest internet pay-to-view sports broadcast.

Rights holder Kentaro reported that 500,000 subscribed to watch the match online
Rights holder Kentaro reported that 500,000 subscribed to watch the match online

The England versus Ukraine game, which England lost 1-0, was shown across national newspaper websites including The Sun, The Times, News of the World, Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, Daily Star and The Independent.

International football rights agency Kentaro appointed online sport specialist Perform to market and stream the match online on a pay-per-view basis that was shown for an early-bird price of £4.99 and £11.99 for purchases made on the day of the game.

Philipp Grothe, chief executive of Kentaro, said the venture had proved itself a "viable model for future games".

The game was also aired on Virgin Media, Orange and at selected Odeon cinemas. All websites offered a promotion where the user could watch the match for free if they opened an account with online bookmaker bet365.com.

A post-match survey found that an average of 87% felt the picture quality was satisfactory or better and 93% were satisfied with the customer support - 87% said the match offered value for money and 89% would purchase another live sports event online.

In addition to the live stream, Kentaro struck an 11th-hour highlights deal with the BBC, which screened the best moments of the match to viewers after the live internet game had been broadcast.

Setanta previously held the live TV rights for the fixture, but since it ceased trading in Great Britain earlier this year, Kentaro has been unable to resell the rights to a UK broadcaster.

 

 

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