Eleven Sports to launch service in Myanmar

Sports broadcaster Eleven Sports is to launch a service in Myanmar next year after securing exclusive rights to the national football league, making the south-east Asian country its 11^th market to date.

The new service will be branded My Sports will deliver all 132 matches from the Myanmar National League (MNL) on a new linear service via satellite and OTT platforms through to the end of 2027. Currently, only a third of MNL matches are shown live.

My Sports coverage will include the provision of live commentary, analysis and discussion. The service will also produce and distribute highlights shows and weekly magazine programmes, as well as engaging fans online and across social media.

The rights agreement also includes live and exclusive rights to the General Aung San Shield – the top domestic cup competition in Myanmar.

Two games per match week will continue to be aired on Myanmar’s largest free-to-air channel, MRTV, and My Sports said it intends to make these games available on other FTA platforms.

Eleven said that its service will seek to secure the widest possible distribution on free and pay platforms and through telecommunications companies to ensure the widest possible local language access for football fans in Myanmar to their domestic league.

“Myanmar is our fourth new market this year and our eleventh in total, which is completely in line with our huge global ambitions. With My Sports we have created a new brand, not used in any other market, designed to satisfy the needs of the sports fans of Myanmar,” said Danny Menken, group managing director, Eleven Sports.

“Our long-term partnership with the Myanmar National League will ensure that we help the country develop its football infrastructure over a sustained period, providing local fans with more opportunities to watch and participate in their favourite sport. As always, our proposition will be enriched with many more local and international premium sports rights which will be announced in the coming weeks and months.”

Sai Sam Htun, vice-chairman, Myanmar National League, said: “We are delighted with this partnership with My Sportsas it will empower us to be able to build the status and quality of the Myanmar National League not just locally, but abroad as well. This will give us a platform to grow commercially which will in turn allow more resources to be invested in the quality of football in the country, as we work towards our national vision of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in 2030.”

The launch in Myanmar follows Eleven’s recent entry into the UK, Ireland and most recently Portugal. In the latter market, the sports broadcaster this week added rights to German Bundesliga, the German Supercup – both from 2019-20 – the Scottish Ladbrokes Premiership, Belgian Jupiler Pro League, the Belgian Supercup and Arsenal’s official club channel – from 2018-19 – to an existing line-up that includes Spain’s La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and France’s Ligue 1.