Sportradar has secured broadcast rights deals in 17 countries to bring the 2020 Hana1Q K League 1 to viewers ahead of its season opener tomorrow, a record for the competition.

The K League will be broadcast live in territories such as Australia (Optus), Germany (Sportdigital), Hong Kong (TVB) as well as being aired or streamed live in India and China. Moreover more territories are yet to be added, with negotiations currently under way between Sportradar and broadcasters based in the USA and Brazil.

Dylan Chuan, Sales Director, Audiovisual, Sportradar, stated: “Live sport is an integral part of daily life for many people around the world, especially in these difficult and unique times. With the K League season kicking off on Friday, we are delighted to have worked with our partners – media companies, broadcasters and OTT platforms to deliver great entertainment and pulsating football action to fans across the globe.”

Sportradar has also announced that online content platforms such as Copa90 and Laola.tv will carry out live streaming services across Europe and the rest of the world, excluding Korea, providing fans with some much needed football content as most live-sports are still currently suspended. 

The sports data firm was appointed as the K League’s international broadcast rights distributor in December 2019 with global interest increasing in the competition since the 2020 campaign was confirmed to be starting in May last month.

German based Sportdigital Fussball will broadcast K League games across its platforms in the country as well as in Austria and Switzerland. Moreover, Optus Sports will air two matches of the Korean top-division every game week in Australia.

English commentary will also be provided for the first time to overseas providers, whilst K League’s newly established media centre will be using a cloud server and an in-house Off-Tube system for the 54 main matches that will be broadcast outside of Korea. 

The news follows the K League’s announcement that its season opener between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings will be streamed live on Twitter and YouTube, with the hope that it will tap into a potential fanbase.

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