Yesterday, the first of 25 Major League Baseball games were streamed exclusively on Facebook Watch in an effort to help globalize the sport. Starting on Thursday, one MLB game each week will also be streamed on Twitter, although not exclusively.
Games on both platforms will be limited to weekday afternoons, providing fans with office jobs a streaming option when they would be unlikely to have access to linear TV.
Furthering the initiative to expand the sport’s reach, Major League Baseball announced a partnership with Chinese tech giant Tencent. According to sporttechie.com, Tencent will live stream 125 games during the season, along with the All-Star Game, postseason and World Series.
“We are thrilled to team with Tencent, the largest and best distributor of digital sports content in China and a company that is widely admired around the world. We are confident that the assortment of MLB games, shows and events that Tencent will stream will entertain millions of sports fans in China and help continue to grow the sport,” said MLB vice president for the Asia Pacific region Jim Small.
Financial terms of the Tencent deal were not disclosed, but the Chinese internet company is currently in the middle of a five-year $700 million deal with the NBA. Tencent, who also partners with the NFL, will launch their MLB agreement featuring five straight days of games called “Super Baseball Week.” After its premiere week, games in China will regularly be streamed to consumers on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.