NeuLion and Univision Deportes have recorded more than 3 million views for their live and on-demand streaming service of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Univision subscribers have been able to live stream each Gold Cup match on mobile phones, tablets and desktop, using the NeuLion digital platform. In addition, viewers have the opportunity to watch highlight clips and access live stats throughout the tournament, which ends on Sunday. For the U.S., the world’s second-largest country in terms of Spanish speakers behind Mexico, streaming numbers have been “impressive,” according to Univision. Prior to Wednesday night’s semifinals, Univision Deportes has delivered more than 3.2 million live streams. The large majority (86%) of those have come from the Univision Deportes App. “Those numbers have been consistent with [last year’s] World Cup,” said Chris Wagner, Exec VP at NeuLion. The 2014 FIFA World Cup attracted more than 10 million unique viewers, with 87% of the traffic coming from mobile and tablet, according to Wagner. Demographically, Hispanics are more likely to own and use smartphones or tablets than the rest of the U.S. population, he added. A recent Horowitz Research study found that about three quarters (76%) of Hispanics have the ability to stream to TVs, compared to 70% among the total population. They are also more likely to stream to multiple devices -- 62% compared to 57%. Wagner pointed to the lower cost of smartphones compared to TVs for similar capabilities as a possible explanation but said that reasons could vary.
CREATING MORE INVENTORY: NeuLion’s job is not to produce the content but to deliver it as part of a multi-year agreement with Univision Deportes. Wagner told SBD Global that for the first time NeuLion is delivering mid-roll advertising for Univision on mobile. “All the advertising gets delivered in stream,” he said. NeuLion has done dynamic ad insertion and mid-roll ad insertion on PC for a number of companies, but it is a first in terms of high volume, mobile, tablet, live mid-roll advertising delivery. The result is a lot more inventory on the digital side for Univision. Game highlights, which fans can share through social media, are cut and clipped by NeuLion and provide additional value. “The business value for Univision is that fans engage longer and push those highlights through their social media channels,” Wagner said. The highlights also carry the advertising, which pushes up the overall impression count, he added. In a statement, which will be released on Monday, Univision said the digital experience drives distribution of its portfolio and "adds valuable revenue with pre and mid-roll in-app advertising." A study supporting those claims was published by Hitwise, a division of Experian Marketing Services, in '13. The study found that Hispanic smartphone owners are twice as likely as non-Hispanics to say they are interested in receiving ads on their phone and 58% are more likely to purchase products they see advertised on their phone. NeuLion and Univision Deportes also cooperate in providing streaming service for Liga MX games and next year’s Copa America. Both companies declined to provide financial details of the agreement.
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| Source: NEULION |
