The streaming giant Year has just struck a major blow by acquiring the rights to broadcast the matches of baseball of Sunday morning which were previously held by Peacock. This announcement, which comes a few weeks before the start of the 2024 MLB season, marks a turning point in Roku’s strategy. It also confirms its ambition to become a major player in the broadcasting of live sports content.
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A tempting package for baseball fans
Baptized “MLB Sunday Leadoff”, this package will include the live and exclusive broadcast of an MLB game every Sunday morning. THE viewers will be able to follow the exploits of their favorite teams without having to pay an additional subscription since these matches will be accessible for free on the channel The Roku Channel.
In addition to live streaming, Roku will also offer match replays for a period of six hours after the final whistle. This allows fans to catch up on matches they may have missed. Something to delight baseball fans who will be able to fully enjoy their favorite sport without constraints.
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Increased competition in sports streaming
The arrival of Roku on the sports rights market shakes up an already very competitive sector. Indeed, until now, actors like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ or Peacock shared the main broadcasting contracts. But with this acquisition, Roku proves that it has the means to achieve its ambitions and that it intends to carve out a place for itself in the sun.
This offensive by Roku in live sports is part of an underlying trend which sees streaming platforms seeking to enrich their offering to retain their subscribers. From this perspective, sport appears to be particularly strategic content due to its ability to generate strong audiences.
A hard blow for Peacock
While this announcement is great news for Roku and baseball fans, it is a bitter setback for Peacock. The streaming service of NBCUniversal had in fact acquired the broadcast rights Sunday morning matches in 2022. The operation was estimated at $30 million per season.
Despite encouraging audiences, Peacock failed to renew its contract with MLB and thus leaves the field open to Roku. A loss which could weigh on the growth of the platform in a context where competition is raging and where each exclusivity counts to stand out.
For its part, Roku is in any case banking heavily on the baseball with the hope of attracting new users and strengthening its image as an essential destination for sports fans. The first matches broadcast will give an idea of the success or otherwise of this audacious strategy.
SOURCE
2024-05-14 03:53:52
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