Seven Network has launched 40 days of free live sport coverage on all devices as part of a long terms shift in how it delivers content to audiences beyond broadcast TV.
The initiative, launched today at the AdNews Media Summit, will kick off next month meaning viewers can access a season of live sports on any device.
It follows Seven’s efforts around the Australian Tennis Open where viewers could choose between which matches they watched on Seven and its 7TWO channel, as well as digital TV, mobile and tablet devices.
More than 1.2 million people streamed the event on digital platforms, with one third of our Australian Open audience accessing our tennis content on digital platforms every day. There were over 4.4 million streams, 80 per cent of which were live streaming, and over 23 million page views during the Australian Open Series, with a social reach of over 2 million Australians.
The new initiative will include events such as Royal Ascot, Wimbledon and The Australian Masters.
New apps will be available for Apple and Android devices and Seven will launch web portals 7racing.com.au, 7tennis.com.au, 7swimming.com.au and 7golf.com.au complementing Seven’s major online sports presence with 7sport.com.au.
Speaking at a panel on television, Clive Dickens, Seven West Media’s chief digital officer, said: “Mobile isn;t the second screen, it's the screen."
In the announcement sent out to the market, Dickens added: "This is an exciting development for our business, our Australian audiences and our marketing partners. Seven West Media has some of the most successful consumer brands and franchises and these new live and free sports products underline our focus on the delivery of our market-leading content anywhere, anytime to the biggest audiences .
“Mobile is no longer the second screen, increasingly for some it’s “the screen”. The Australian Open was a bold step for our business. It reinforced our commitment to our new mobile venture – 40 days of free and live sport on your mobile. We will bring the live and free sports action to you, you will never miss a moment, and it is television in your pocket. It is where we are heading as a content company as mobile extends the reach of television outside the home or primary device and it’s happening now.”
Kurt Burnette, Seven’s Chief Revenue Officer, said: “Television is evolving rapidly and Seven is acknowledged as leading the market in innovation in the delivery of our content to our audiences and driving greater engagement across all of our platforms. The 40 Days of Sport project builds on our reputation for delivery of our content to our audiences and broadening opportunities for our marketing partners.”
Saul Shtein, Seven’s Head of Sport, said: “We are building the platforms to drive our future. Our major sports franchises deliver to our business an extraordinary opportunity to drive home our leadership as we broadcast many of the world’s best sports across our broadcast television and digital platforms, and increasingly deliver content on mobile.”
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