BeIN Sports is "moving forward" with additional legal action against Comcast through the media bureau of the Federal Communications Commission. The broadcaster took the action because, it says, Comcast is "unwilling to negotiate concerning the restoration of beIN to the Comcast platform." BeIN Sports was removed from Comcast/Xfinity platforms on July 31 (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 2/7).
UEFA will launch a global OTT streaming platform for football fans that "could represent a significant shift in the broadcasting of the sport." Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA's president for another four years after being re-elected unopposed on Thursday, is "behind the proposals" that will see a streaming service provisionally named UEFA TV launched around the world. The OTT platform will only be available outside Europe and North America after its launch (London INDEPENDENT, 2/7).
Wednesday's Copa del Rey semifinal first leg between Barcelona and Real Madrid drew a total audience of nearly 10 million viewers, which translated to a market share of 48%, according to Kantar Media. La 1's coverage drew 7.32 million, which translated to a market share of 35.9%. Gol TV (1.26 million) and TV3 (1.19 million) also carried the game (EFE, 2/7).
BT Sport introduced a new large screen app. Users will have access to 4K UHD and HDR coverage of BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2, BT Sport 3, ESPN, BoxNation and the BT Sport Extra channels. It is available for Xbox, Samsung Smart TVs and Apple TV. The new app is available for free to BT Sport subscribers, excluding BT Mobile and EE customers (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 2/7).
