Copa del Rey the highlight of multiple new Southeast Asia rights deals for Eleven

Eleven Sports, the international subscription broadcaster, has expanded its portfolio in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong with multiple new rights deals, including Spanish soccer’s Copa del Rey knockout cup competition.

The pay-TV operator has also added the Japanese T1 Table Tennis League, the Malaysian SPL Sepak Takraw League (STL), badminton, and a slate of international cricket to its offering in the region.

Table tennis, badminton, and cricket coverage will be available on Eleven’s platforms in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Brunei Darussalam.

Live broadcasts of this season’s Copa del Rey and STL will also be available on Eleven across the region with the exception of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

Eleven’s coverage of the Copa del Rey will begin with today’s (January 20) last-16 matches in which Real Madrid face Elche and Barcelona take on Athletic Club.

The broadcaster’s package of international cricket will include Tests, One Day Internationals, and T20s featuring nations including India, South Africa, Australia, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, the West Indies, and Ireland. 

Eleven will also begin streaming European badminton this month, with a total of 19 events to be shown during the course of 2022, while live action from the men’s and women’s T1 Table Tennis League in Japan will begin from February.

In addition, Eleven has secured a four-year deal for the STL. Coverage of the 2022 season commenced on January 7.

Eleven has placed a focus on providing “local and locally relevant” content with the aim of delivering over 2,000 hours of live sport to fans in 2022.

The respective deals build on Eleven’s acquisition of exclusive Asian Football Confederation rights in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong last year for the 2021-24 cycle.

The company said it will add more sports and soccer content to its platforms in the coming weeks.

Eleven has been available in Thailand and Hong Kong since November 2021 and launched its offering in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, and the Philippines this month.

The broadcaster has prioritized an “over-the-top first approach” in all territories across the region.

Each local service will be accessible on Eleven´s new global streaming platform ElevenSports.com. D2C distribution will be complemented by partnerships with local linear operators.

Eleven’s expansion in Asia builds on its operations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years.

Nick Wilkinson, Eleven Asia-Pacific managing director, said: “We are excited to be growing our operations across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong with a compelling mix of local and locally relevant content.

“Our ambition is to offer our audiences a really dynamic new service to follow the sport they love. The partnerships that we have negotiated so far mean we are well on the way to delivering on this mission.

“We will be working to expand our portfolio of rights significantly in the coming months to serve fans across the region in exciting new ways.”