Sydney, 25 August, 2017 — Ahead of the biggest boxing bout of the year and one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the sport, Foxtel has partnered with Brightcove Inc. (NASDAQ: BCOV), the leading provider of cloud services for video, to livestream the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight on August 27 (AEST). In addition to being able to watch the Pay-Per-View event at home, or at licensed venues, all Australian viewers can also subscribe to and stream the fight online.
The offering will complement Foxtel’s existing Main Event service available over cable/satellite and in licensed venues. The announcement follows a soft launch of the online offering last month, with Foxtel live streaming Jeff Horn’s victory match over Manny Pacquiao to thousands of Australians.
Ed Follows, Director of Product Technology Development at Foxtel, commented, “In recent years, we’ve focused our efforts on finding new ways to increase customer choices, and effortlessly give customers access to our content. This is another way we’re doing just that. Previously, Main Event content like this has only been available to Foxtel customers. But with the dedicated online experience, anyone can sign up, buy a ticket and immediately watch the fight, with no ongoing subscription required. It means more Australians can subscribe to ground-breaking bouts like this than ever before.”
“Brightcove has been a fantastic partner, managing the entire process and bringing some key partners into the mix that make this all possible,” Follows said. “Brightcove’s support team has been crucial to getting the platform up and ready for the match. And following the success of last month, we know it will be a popular way for fans to get in on the action.”
Brightcove Live, the company’s flagship live streaming service, will power the online pay-per-view event. Its globally distributed architecture will ensure Foxtel can deliver a seamless viewing experience to anyone across Australia on desktops, mobile and tablet devices.
Brightcove will manage the project from end to end, alongside partner, Cleeng. Brightcove will provide the live stream of the match itself, while Cleeng will support with the pay-per-view ticket sales, end-user customer support and content protection, including watermarking to mitigate piracy.
Mark Stanton, Brightcove’s Vice President for ANZ said, “Brightcove has long been a partner of Foxtel, but this event has given us a great opportunity to further our relationship with one of Australia’s premier media businesses.
“We’re always looking at ways we can help our customers extend audience reach and revenue, and what Foxtel is doing here with its Main Event content is a prime example of how media companies can best do so. We have been able to deliver an online platform that’s ready for Foxtel to stream a major live event at the level of technical and business performance major media brands expect. And we’re confident the latest live stream will deliver overwhelmingly positive results for both Foxtel and boxing fans.”
About Brightcove
Brightcove Inc. (NASDAQ:BCOV) is the leading global provider of powerful cloud solutions for delivering and monetising video across connected devices. The company offers a full suite of products and services that reduce the cost and complexity associated with publishing, distributing, measuring and monetising video across devices. Brightcove has thousands of customers in over 70 countries that rely on the company’s cloud solutions to successfully publish high-quality video experiences to audiences everywhere. To learn more, visit www.brightcove.com.
About Foxtel
Foxtel is one of Australia's most progressive and dynamic media companies, bringing the best live sport, new movies, new shows and complete seasons, live and on demand anytime, anywhere. Foxtel directly employs more than 2,800 people, and delivering a diverse subscription television service to both regional and metropolitan areas over cable, satellite and broadband distribution.
We effortlessly connect Australians to all the stories they love by offering a better entertainment experience every day to each one of our 2.8 million subscribing homes through delivery of exclusive and inspiring programming across all genres, the world’s most popular channel brands, and investment in high quality local content.
Foxtel is owned by Telstra Corporation Ltd (50%) and The News Corporation Ltd (50%).
Contacts
Brightcove Inc.
Meredith Duhaime, 603-785-8518
mduhaime@brightcove.com