Eleven Sports enters Myanmar with football rights deal

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has today (Friday) made Myanmar its 11th market through an agreement underpinned by the acquisition of rights to the top tier of domestic club football.

Eleven will launch a new sports service, branded My Sports, with the new platform having secured global live rights to the Myanmar National Football League (MNL).

Ahead of the nine-year partnership, running from 2019 to 2027, the potentially title deciding MNL match between Shan United and Yangon will be streamed exclusively live globally on the My Sports Facebook page at 3:30pm local time tomorrow (Saturday). This will be followed by Yadanarbon FC v Southern Myanmar at 4pm on July 1.

From 2019, My Sports will deliver all 132 matches per season on a new linear service via satellite and OTT platforms. Currently, only a third of MNL matches are shown live.

My Sports will produce all 132 matches per season which will include the provision of live commentary, analysis and discussion. To supplement the live action on-air, My Sports will produce and distribute highlights shows and weekly magazine programmes, as well as engaging fans online and across social media.

The agreement also includes live and exclusive action from the General Aung San Shield – the top domestic cup competition in Myanmar.

Two games per match week will continue to be aired on Myanmar’s largest free-to-air channel, MRTV, and My Sports intends to make these games available on other FTA platforms.

Danny Menken, group managing director of Eleven Sports, said: “Myanmar is our fourth new market this year and our 11th in total, which is completely in line with our huge global ambitions. With My Sports we have created a new brand, not used in any other market, designed to satisfy the needs of the sports fans of Myanmar.

“Our long-term partnership with the Myanmar National League will ensure that we help the country develop its football infrastructure over a sustained period, providing local fans with more opportunities to watch and participate in their favourite sport. As always, our proposition will be enriched with many more local and international premium sports rights which will be announced in the coming weeks and months.”

Dr Sai Sam Htun, vice-chairman of the Myanmar National League, added: “We are delighted with this partnership with My Sports as it will empower us to be able to build the status and quality of the Myanmar National League not just locally, but abroad as well. This will give us a platform to grow commercially which will in turn allow more resources to be invested in the quality of football in the country, as we work towards our national vision of qualifying for the Fifa World Cup in 2030.”