Sportradar and Baseball Australia (BA) have signed a multi-year partnership to broadcast Australian Baseball League (ABL) games live on a dedicated OTT platform (lead image: Sportradar’s Dave Edwards).
The new live streaming service, onDemand*, is one part of a strategic partnership signed between Baseball Australia, Sportradar, and the ABL. In addition to powering the OTT platform, Sportradar will serve as the ABL’s exclusive betting data and audio-visual rights distribution partner.
Sportradar has also been chosen as the ABL’s official integrity partner, with the company’s industry-leading Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS), an advanced and proven bet monitoring system, deployed to safeguard the integrity of Baseball Australia and ABL competitions.
Round one of the ABL season will be streamed on the OTT platform, starting on 10 November. The service will initially launch as a Web platform, with a dedicated App to be built by Sportradar for the start of the 2023/24 season.
“We’re pleased to partner with Baseball Australia and the ABL to help them reach and engage new audiences both here in Australia and around the world,” said Dave Edwards, Sportradar’s director of sports media and partnerships – Oceania.
“By taking an intelligent, technology-driven partnership approach to content distribution, rights holders can directly control how their assets are commercialised, while learning more about their fans in the process. We look forward to assisting BA and the ABL as they pursue their ambitious growth strategy.”
Glenn Williams, Baseball Australia CEO added: “An ability to house Australian baseball content onto the one platform for fans to see is something we are really excited about. This is a one-stop shop for the fans to consume their baseball content from Little League all the way through to the ABL and Team Australia. Partnering with Sportradar, a global company who work with major sports leagues around the world, will be a major boost for baseball in Australia.”
Paul Gonzalez, ABL General Manager said: “We are excited to partner with Sportradar to bring the ABL into the homes of sport and baseball fans across the world. This is a revolutionary deal with the Australian Baseball League that will not only provide a high-quality stream but also integrity and opportunity to the league. We are proud to partner with such a global brand who works with other elite sports bringing the focus back to the Australian Baseball League and its athletes.”
