NeuLion has announced an expanded partnership with the Tennis Channel to create and deliver a new Apple TV experience. Tennis Channel joins other sports leagues on Apple TV, including the NHL, NBA, MLS and UFC, in giving viewers live streaming designed and delivered by NeuLion.
As the latest addition, the Tennis Channel Everywhere experience on Apple TV gives viewers the ability to access both the 24/7 linear broadcast channel as well as the digital subscription service, Tennis Channel Plus with additional live court streaming not available on the linear channel. Tennis Channel Plus, powered by NeuLion, gives viewers access to more than 450 other live matches from more than 40 tournaments worldwide, including the Australian Open and French Open, across PCs, smartphones, tablets and now Apple TV.
Connected devices are playing an increasingly important role in longer fan engagement and live sports viewing. Many sports networks powered by NeuLion are reporting significant percentages of their live game viewing traffic is now through connected devices like Apple TV, Roku and game consoles, the company reports. NeuLion delivers higher bit rates on connected devices topping out at 6mbps and 60fps on devices like Xbox One, the company claims. By using one profile and single sign-on, viewers are able to sign up online and carry those entitlements and purchases across to their other connected devices.
“Launching on Apple TV is an important milestone for us,” said Adam Ware, Tennis Channel’s SVP and head of digital. “NeuLion has given us the ability to take our content to multiple screen devices and now we have given our dedicated fan base a big screen experience with the most tennis coverage on TV, all in one place for the ultimate fan experience.”
“Connected devices are becoming more and more valuable as a means of reaching sports fans,” added Chris Wagner, EVP of NeuLion. “Having access to live sports on the big screen and seamlessly being able to watch across multiple devices is a viewer must today. NeuLion has enabled this viewer experience for more sports leagues, teams and networks than any other provider.”
