Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus in action during the pre-season friendly between Juventus and Juventus U19 on Aug. 12, 2018 in Villar Perosa, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Juventus has cut its official TV channel in favor of a more mobile-friendly option. The Italian soccer giant is hoping its fans tune in to watch new signing Cristiano Ronaldo and other stars this upcoming season from wherever they may be.
The reigning Serie A champion has moved to an OTT streaming platform. The new service, called Juventus TV, will be available on phones, tablets, and computers with a variable pricing model for Juventus members and non-members, according to SportsPro Media. Members will pay reduced prices of $3.50 per month or $17 per year.
Subscribers to Juventus TV will gain access to behind-the-scenes content like interviews, press conferences, and historical features. Match highlights and full match replays will allow viewers to choose their viewing angle from multiple cameras. Content will also include footage of Ronaldo and other Juventus players.
The platform will not provide access to live games, however, as those rights belong to other networks and services.
SportTechie Takeaway
Juventus is joining the growing trend of networks and sports organizations offering more mobile-friendly content. ESPN+ will bring viewers this Saturday’s Juventus opener—Ronaldo’s Serie A debut—along with hundreds of other Serie A matches. Fans in Italy can watch those matches on DAZN, which launched there Aug. 3 with domestic rights to Serie A as well as international rights to La Liga and Ligue 1. And a month ago, Juventus rival AS Roma became the first Serie A club to stream a match on Twitter. Though Juventus TV will not feature live matches due to broadcast agreements, it will now offer supplementary team-oriented content on the go.
Speaking of mobile-friendly content, Juventus last year introduced its own VR app, taking fans inside the match-day locker room, onto the pitch, and into the middle of the club’s 2016/17 Serie A championship celebration. Perhaps some of the Juventus TV content could be incorporated into the VR app and vice-versa, creating a holistic behind-the-scenes experience for Juventus fans worldwide.
