Eleven Sports breaks into US with One World acquisition

European sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has acquired key distribution assets of US outfit One World Sports, enabling it to break into the US market through distribution deals with AT&T, DirecTV, Verizon, Charter Communications and NCTC.

Eleven said it now intends to build a strong portfolio of rights in the US from sports including cycling, ice hockey, basketball, soccer, rugby, lacrosse, cricket, drone racing and other millennial-focused sports, with specific details being made public in the near future.

Eleven currently delivers sports channels to five territories in Europe and Asia. It said it will market itself as a destination for emerging and established sports in the US, with content geared towards the interests of Millennials.

“Entering the US market presents a significant moment for Eleven and a fantastic opportunity that is aligned to our core strategy to reach and connect with millennial fans everywhere with refreshing and exciting content. By breaking into the US market, we are opening the door to 50 million more fans from day one and we are committed to providing them with live action and unique insight into sports content that is both engaging and tailored to suit fans’ specific interests,” said Marc Watson, executive chairman, Eleven Sports and Aser Media, Eleven’s parent company.

“Following our launches in several other countries over the past two years, we have seen fans gravitate towards our content thanks to our strategy to deliver content tailored to specific markets in a fan-friendly way. We know that there are fans in the US who are underserved by the current sports networks and we are ready to give the fans what they want. This is an incredibly exciting time for us and a great opportunity to grow our global offer,” said Danny Menken, Group Managing Director, Eleven Sports.