GUINNESS PRO14 Launch Tournament OTT Service With StreamAMG

The GUINNESS PRO14 has become the first major rugby union competition to launch its own OTT video platform thanks to a ground-breaking partnership with StreamAMG.

After major world-wide broadcasts were unveiled by the Championship earlier this season, supporters in selected international territories will also be able to watch all the action from across the Championship live via an official GUINNESS PRO14 direct-to-consumer platform.

After successful streaming of PRO14 games on social media to selected territories this season, an expected audience has already signed up to be the very first to access PRO14 TV. The service launches in time for the climax of the season – the GUINNESS PRO14 final series.

The service is now available at www.pro14.tv and fans will be able to choose from a range of flexible packages (priced here in euros for comparison), Pay-per-view passes for individual games will be priced at €3.99, with a weekend pass (Friday, Saturday, Sunday fixtures; 72 hours) available for €6.99.

Traditional monthly and seasonal options will be launched for the 2019/20 season. In addition to live, chargeable match coverage, the service will offer free registration-led access to a comprehensive library of clips, highlights, full-match replays and a range of exclusive content.

The GUINNESS PRO14 has already proven a hit with audiences around the world as record-breaking broadcast deals within the UK and Ireland with Premier Sports and eir Sport have made all 153 games available for the first time. Additionally, coverage from DAZN, SuperSport and ESPN has ensured that the reputation of the Championship continues to grow across the globe.

Dermot Rigley, Commercial Director of PRO14 Rugby, said: “Launching our own OTT video platform to reach fans around the world was a logical next step for us as we experience more demand for the GUINNESS PRO14 than ever before. To be the first major rugby union tournament to launch an OTT service is in keeping with our commitment to innovation and a commitment to embrace new technologies.

“Since expanding the Championship into South Africa in 2017 we have experienced significant growth across all metrics including attendances, social media engagement and, of course, signing record-setting broadcast deals earlier this year.

“We are looking forward to bringing the excitement of PRO14 rugby directly to supporters of our teams. To deliver this we are extremely pleased to be working with StreamAMG, who have a strong track record in the sector. Their technical expertise was very much in evidence throughout the selection process.”

Duncan Burbidge, Chief Executive Officer of StreamAMG, added: “To be able to work with a top-flight sporting property in the form of GUINNESS PRO14 is a real honour for us. Our team is relishing the opportunity to bring their technical expertise and sporting expertise to bear in the delivery of a best-in-class OTT proposition.”

The service will be based on StreamAMG’s MediaPlatform video management platform as well as incorporating CloudMatrix, a revolutionary new feed-based distribution platform. StreamAMG’s proprietary transaction platform, CloudPay, will take care of end-user payments and subscription management.