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UEFA Champions League is coming to CBS All Access in 2021
The giants of European soccer are headed to CBS All Access starting in 2021, when CBS snatches the rights to one of the sport's biggest competitions away from Turner. While CBS will broadcast some UEFA Champions League games on its eponymous network (perhaps including the final), all of them will be available to stream in the US on All Access, which starts at $6/month.
European football is finally embracing VAR
The Champions League will begin using VAR, or video assistant referees, during the 2019 to 2020 season, UEFA announced. The technology will also be used in the Europa League starting in 2020 and in the 2019 Super Cup, at Euro 2020 and at the 2021 finals of the Nations League.
'FIFA 19' has everything it needs to be the best
I've always tried to love FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer equally, though there are years when one franchise wins me over the other -- even if it's by a tiny bit. You can always count on the game mechanics of Konami's PES to be a pleasure to play, but EA Sports' advantage with FIFA has been that it owns the official licenses to the biggest clubs and players. I don't know about you, but I'd rather play with Manchester United than Man Red. This year, the most important change to FIFA 19 is the addition of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club competition, which had featured on PES since 2008. EA Sports didn't need the Champions League to make FIFA great, but it was basically the only thing it was missing. And now, at the expense of PES, it's finally here.
Facebook will stream live Champions League matches in Latin America
Facebook's soccer (aka football) ambitions aren't stopping with July's Premier League deal. The social network has secured the rights to stream live Champions League matches for free in Latin America between 2018 and 2021. It's not as sweeping as the earlier arrangement, as Facebook will only broadcast 32 games per season. However, the company will share highlights and magazine programming every match week.
RIP, 'Pro Evolution Soccer'
I have a mild obsession with FIFA video games, largely because I like playing with official teams and players rather than fictional ones. But, I always gave Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) a chance. Two years ago, I even wrote that Konami's title was actually better than EA Sports', much to the the disbelief of many of my football friends. A big reason I always kept coming back to PES (aside from its more realistic gameplay) was the fact it had licensing rights for the UEFA Champions League (UCL), Europe's most prestigious club tournament. Since 2008, FIFA players have had to make do with a generic version that EA Sports created, which simply wasn't good enough. You need that UCL orchestral theme song and the original trophy to make the competition feel real. But thing will be changing soon, and Pro Evolution Soccer is going to suffer as a result.
Russia denies planning botnet cyberattack on Ukraine
Russia has denied planning a major cyberattack that would disrupt soccer's Champions League final this weekend. Ukraine's SBU security service said on Wednesday that malware infecting hundreds of thousands of routers was the work of Russian hackers preparing for an assault on the country. The attackers were accused of targeting Saturday's match in Kiev. According to Reuters, the Kremlin has strongly denied these accusations.
Ukraine claims it’s the target of a massive Russian cyberattack
Cisco says hackers have infected more than 500,000 routers and other devices with malware to prepare for a cyberattack, and Ukraine could be the target. The country's SBU security service claims the malware is evidence Russia is preparing for a major attack "aimed at destabilising the situation" during the Champions League soccer final in Kiev Saturday, Reuters reported. Ukraine's annual Constitution Day celebrations may also be a target, according to the AP.
Police face recognition misidentified 2,300 as potential criminals
Ask critics of police face recognition why they're so skeptical and they'll likely cite unreliability as one factor. What if the technology flags an innocent person? Unfortunately, that caution appears to have been warranted to some degree. South Wales Police are facing a backlash after they released data showing that their face recognition trial at the 2017 Champions League final misidentified thousands as potential criminals. Out out of 2,470 initial matches, 2,297 were false positives -- about 92 percent.
Turner's sports service will be the home of Champions League soccer
Not to be outdone by ESPN, Turner Broadcasting has announced a sports streaming service of its own next year. And to start, it's partnering with UEFA on a three-year deal to stream Champions and Europa League games beginning with the 2018 - 2019 season. That'll cover some 340 matches, according to a statement from Turner. In addition to streaming, games will be broadcast across the media group's TV channels including TBS, TNT "and/or" truTV beginning next year. Not a soccer fan? Turner says it'll offer other sports as well.
Champions League matches are coming to Facebook
Facebook can add another feather to its live-sports streaming cap: UEFA Champions League soccer (football to the rest of the world) matches. Reuters reports that thanks to a partnership with Fox Sports, the 2017-18 season will be watchable on Zuckerberg's social network. Champions League went from being one of the most-watched competition on earth to the exact opposite thanks to several countries blocking access via paywalls. Jerks. Anyhow, if you can't access the League via YouTube in your area, this should fix that.
Police will scan every fan's face at the Champions League final
If you're headed to the UEFA Champions League final in Cardiff on June 3rd, you might just be part of a massive experiment in security -- and a privacy uproar. South Wales Police are conducting a face recognition trial that could scan every one of the 170,000 visitors expected to show up in the city for the match, whether or not they're heading to the stadium. Cameras around both the stadium and Cardiff's main train station will compare faces against a police database of 500,000 people of interest. If there's a match, police will get a heads-up that could help them stop a terrorist or frequent hooligan.
BT beats Sky to Champions League and Europa League TV rights
BT has secured another three-year deal for Champions League and Europa League football, extending its lucrative TV rights until 2021 in the UK. The contract is worth £1.2 billion, up from £897 million in 2013, and includes both the group stages and knockout rounds of each competition. As BBC News notes, the latest auction -- which takes effect from the 2018/19 season -- gives BT true exclusivity. That means no matches or highlights will be shown through the free-to-air broadcaster ITV. In return, BT has promised to "enhance its social media coverage" with shareable clips and weekly roundups. It will also continue showing the finals on YouTube.
BT's football final coverage attracts 3 million on YouTube
BT Sport's YouTube experiment turned out to be quite successful. As the Guardian reports, the broadcaster attracted three million people to its live coverage of the Champions League and Europa League finals on the platform. Anyone in the UK was able to watch these streams, regardless of whether or not they were a BT Sport subscriber. It was offered alongside BT Sport Showcase, a free-to-watch Freeview channel that BT is forced to provide as part of its Champions League and Europa League TV rights deal. It was the first time both finals have been shown for free on YouTube.
Some Euro 2016 soccer games will be shot in virtual reality
The Union of European Football Association, more commonly known as UEFA, has revealed that it will be filming matches in virtual reality at the Euro 2016 Finals. The tournament, which takes places in France starting June 10th, brings together the best 24 teams from Europe -- including England, Germany, Spain and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. According to The Daily Mirror, UEFA is going to use dozens of Nokia's $60,000 OZO cameras to capture 360-degree video inside stadiums, although it's unclear what the organization plans to do with the footage.
BT to stream Champions League and Europa League finals on YouTube
BT will broadcast coverage of both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League finals for free on YouTube. The company confirmed today that it will show both matches, which kick off on May 28th and May 18th respectively, on BT Sport TV channels across Sky, Virgin, YouView and Freeview, but will also give UK streamers (it won't be available worldwide) the opportunity to view the action via the official BT Sport YouTube channel.
UEFA Champions League final will use goal-line technology
Goal-line technology is already being used in the Premier League to verify scoring, and it's headed to two UEFA league finals, too. The upcoming Champions League and Europa League finals will both make use of the system to keep tabs on scoring. If you'll recall, the tech was also used during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Back in January, UEFA announced that next year's Champions League season and the 2016 Euro Cup would employ the goal-line technology. However, it looks like the European football association is looking to get a jump start on things with the two league finals in May.
BT Sport ads banned for promoting 'free' Champions League coverage
Once again, BT has been criticised for promoting its BT Sport channels with "misleading" TV ads. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has told the company to pull a number of adverts, including a prominent one on TV, which promises free BT Sport access for BT TV and BT broadband customers. For BT, this is particularly bad timing. The company finally has the rights to broadcast live Champions League and Europa League football in the UK, after snatching them from Sky back in 2013. The two prestigious tournaments didn't come cheap, so BT needs BT Sport -- and specifically its new BT Sport Europe channel -- to be a resounding success. With that in mind, BT has been heavily promoting its European sports coverage as a "free" extra for all BT TV customers.
BT details how much it'll charge for Champions League football
We knew it was coming, but now we've got confirmation: Next season, BT will start charging for full Champions League and Europa League coverage on BT Sport. When both tournaments start up again, BT broadband customers will need to pay an extra £5 to access the new games. If you're signed up for BT TV, however, you'll be able to watch the European fixtures at no added cost. BT Sport 1 will remain free for BT broadband customers, under a new package called "BT Sport Lite," but the company is yet to confirm whether BT Sport 2 and BT Sport ESPN are included. The broadcaster also hasn't explained how the new pricing structure will affect Virgin Media and Sky TV customers that currently pay for BT Sport, either as an optional extra or an inclusive TV bundle.
ESPN strikes deal with Fox to carry some Champions League games
Europe's biggest club football competition, the Champions League, will be hitting the US in strong fashion this year. Thanks to a recently announced agreement with Fox, which owns the rights to the tournament through the 2017-2018 season, ESPN is set to also broadcast matches here in the States. There are a couple of caveats, however -- the games acquired from this deal are only going to be available on ESPN Deportes (Spanish-language) and WatchESPN (ESPN3), so don't expect to catch any of these on the main ESPN or ESPN2 channels. That said, the cross-licensing deal between the two networks is still a great thing for US soccer fans, particularly after the 2014 World Cup, as they will have more ways to watch one of the best tournaments in sports. It's worth noting that while the Champions League Final won't be streamed on WatchESPN, it is going to be televised on ESPN Deportes, right alongside Fox.
BT Sport steals Sky's crown jewel, gets exclusive rights to the Champions League in 2015
Do you like to spend huge sums on Sky Sports just to catch the big moments in European football? Well, in the biggest thing to happen to UK broadcasting in years, BT Sport has outbid (by a considerable margin) both Sky and ITV for the exclusive rights to show both Champions and Europa League matches between 2015-2018. It's a huge coup for the nascent broadcaster, and a statement of intent that it doesn't want to become the next ITV Digital. What this means for consumers, of course, is that £22-a-month Sky Sports subscription (on top of the £21 you pay for the basic package) just took a big hit in value, and that if you want to see the world's biggest game, you're gonna have to buy a BT Sport subscription.
