Eleven Sports, the UK sports channel that purchased the distribution assets of One Word Sports last month, said it has added professional cycling to its lineup, with the rights to show select live events form the 2017 Ciclismo Cup.

Eleven Sports, which has networks in Europe and Asia, purchased One World’s U.S. distribution assets in March, giving it access to potentially 50 million homes through carriage agreements with AT&T, DiercTV, Charter, Verizon, and the National Cable Television Cooperative.

Eleven Sports will show 90 minutes of live coverage per day across six races of the Ciclismo Cup, beginning on April 17. The events to be covered are:

• April 17-21: Tour of the Alps
• September 13: Coppa Agostoni
• September 14: Coppa Bernocchi
• September 30: Giro dell’Emilia
• October 1: Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
• October 3: Tre Valli Varesine

The races are produced by PMG Sport, distributed with Oneplayer and organised by the Italian League of the Professional Cycling.

“We are very pleased to grow our cycling content for fans across the U.S. with the addition of LIVE action from the 2017 Ciclismo Cup,” Eleven Sports group managing director Danny Menken said in a statement. “Compelling bike content is very important to us and we are committed to offering fans great access and unique insight into their favorite sport and pastime. Watching the elite battle it out in the Alps feeds the passion of every road cycling purist, and we look forward to confirming more top rights not only from road cycling, but from every type of bike content very soon.”

Ciclismo Cup race winners so far this season include Adam Yates (pictured) of UCI WorldTour team Orica-Scott, and Diego Ulissi of UCI World Tour team UAE Team Emirates.

Eleven Sports, the UK sports channel thought to be circling around One World Sports, made it official Thursday, announcing that it has purchased certain distribution assets of the troubled network.

Terms were not disclosed.

One World had been on the ropes over the past several months, after one suitor unexpectedly backed away from a deal for the network, which forced it to furlough much of its staff.

Eleven Sports is owned by global investment company Aser and its founder, Italian investor Andrea Radrizzani, who also is the founding partner and vice chairman of MP & Silva, an international sports rights company. Through Aser Radrizzani purchased 50% of second tier UK Championship League team Leeds United.

RELATED: N.Y. Cosmos secure regional TV rights deal for games on MSG, WPIX

Eleven Sports launched in 2015 as a linear and streaming sports service and according to its website has launched multiple channels across select markets in Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Singapore and Taiwan. The company says it offers live coverage of sports events from around the world, analysis, digital content and local programming. In a statement, Eleven Sports said that with the deal, the channel is now available in 50 million homes in the U.S through carriage deals with AT&T, DirecTV, Verizon, Charter, the National Cable Television Cooperative and others, though the network's actual subscriber count would be a much smaller number than 50 million.  

“Entering the U.S. market presents a significant moment for Eleven and a fantastic opportunity that is aligned to our core strategy to reach and connect with young fans everywhere,” Eleven Sports executive chairman Marc Watson said in a release. “By breaking into the U.S. market, we are opening the door to 50 million fans from day one and we are committed to providing them with LIVE action and unique insight into sports content that is both engaging and tailored to suit fans’ specific interests.”  

Troubled One World Sports, the fledgling U.S. sports network that furloughed most of its staff in November, could be close to a deal with the United Kingdom-based Eleven Sports Network, according to reports.

News that a deal could be in the works was first reported by sports website World Soccer Talk, which noted One World began rebranding itself as Eleven Sports on Saturday (March 11).

Eleven Sports is owned by The Channels Co., Ltd., and Italian investor Andrea Radrizzani, founder of global investment company Aser and founding partner and vice chairman of MP & Silva, an international sports rights company. Through Aser Radrizzani purchased 50% of second tier UK Championship League team Leeds United.

Eleven Sports launched in 2015 as a linear and streaming sports service and according to its website has launched multiple channels across select markets in Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Singapore and Taiwan. The company says it offers live coverage of sports events from around the world, analysis, digital content and local programming.

In an email message Eleven Sports spokeswoman Colleen Lynch said the channel “will have more details later this week,” but until then it had no further comment.

One World Sports has been struggling to stay afloat over the past several months and had to furlough a large chunk of its staff in November. At the time, CEO Sandy Brown had said the network was in talks with a potential buyer, which apparently turned out to be Eleven Sports.

One Word Sports was formed in 2010 and is owned by Dallas-based One Media Corp. The network primarily offers NASL soccer games – One Media’s chairman is former New York Cosmos owner Seamus O’Brien – English soccer from Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, and FC Bayern Munich and top soccer from Asia and the Pacific Rim. The network also telecasts the England National Cricket Team’s international home matches, Kontinental Hockey League, Champions Hockey League, Chinese Basketball Association, OneAsia Golf Tour, and table tennis and badminton competitions around the world.

Whether that programming would continue under new owners remains to be seen. The Cosmos were purchased in January by Mediacom Communications chairman, CEO and founder Rocco Commisso., who has said while a TV deal is critical, it is more of a long-term priority than a short-term one.

The Federal Communications Commission chairmanship is not usually among the first posts filled in a new administration. It can sometimes take months after the inauguration for a new chair to be installed, with a sitting commissioner — in this case either of two Republicans, Ajit Pai or Michael O’Rielly — serving as interim chairman in the, well, interim.

But a lot of names and scenarios have been bubbling up for the new chairman of the agency, particularly since it is hard to predict if the Trump administration will follow form or blaze new paths to various nominations.

Here is the current laundry list (with background input from various sources), with the caveat that someone could come out of left field to be named the FCC’s starting pitcher, as it were:

Pai: Senior sitting Republican. The last two Republican chairs — Kevin Martin and Michael Powell — were plucked from the ranks of sitting commissioners, though Powell had big name recognition as the son of Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Martin had been a lawyer in Florida representing President George W. Bush in the 2000 recount court battle. Still, Pai has Senate connections: He once worked with Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).

O’Rielly: A dark horse, but multiple sources said his name is in the mix, given his Senate connections as a former Hill staffer.

Jeff Eisenach/Mark Jamison/Roslyn Layton: They are the deregulatory think tankers leading the FCC transition team. Wheeler was an Obama technology and FCC transition team leader and got the big chair, as was former Republican FCC chairman Mark Fowler. Fowler confirmed for the Wire that he “was in charge of supervising the transition teams of all major regulatory agencies, including the FCC” back in the Reagan years, so there is precedent for the pickers becoming the picked.

David Fellows: A telecommunications industry vet spanning engineering and operations, he’s the co-founder and chief technology officer of Layer3 TV, the Denver-based, self-described “next-generation cable operator,” and is also serving as chief scientist of the cable-focused Energy 2020 initiative. Fellows has deep experience in various facets of the telecom and tech sectors, including past key roles at MSOs (Comcast and AT&T Broadband), major suppliers (Scientific Atlanta, now part of Cisco Systems), telecom (GTE) and as a venture capitalist (Genovation Capital and Pilot House Ventures).

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.): He is a member of the House Communications Subcommittee, though he does not have a high profile there. Cramer was also an early Trump supporter, which appears to count a lot with the President-elect.

Brandt Hershman: An Indiana state senator with telecom deregulation chops and a degree from Harvard, he is said to be a suggestion from VP-elect and former Indiana congressman and governor Mike Pence, who is leading the transition. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the next chairman had connections with Indiana,” said one FCC transition watcher.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn: The Tennessee Republican is another early, and vocal, Trump supporter who is a member of the transition team executive committee, though she may be looking for a bigger post. She is vice chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee and has been very active on communications issues.

Ann Coulter: OK, that’s a long, long shot. But the conservative commentator was another early (and late) Trump supporter and last summer all but campaigned for the FCC post, telling Business Insider she would take aim at big media companies she said had “just gotten very powerful and very unfair,” something Trump echoed in criticisms of the proposed AT&T-Time Warner and approved Comcast-NBCUniversal deals and his attacks on media news outlets in general.

###

One World Sports, Facing Reported Woes, Looks to ‘Bright Future’

One World Sports, the niche sports network that has been the go-to channel for distributors locked into, or looking for alternatives to, onerous carriage contracts, is having some money problems of its own, according to sources last week.

Sports news website Awful Announcing first reported the channel had furloughed workers in an effort to cut costs, and in fact had considered bankruptcy and failed to pay employees and vendors for months. Sources said last week the network — with access to 43 million homes but mostly carried on lightly penetrated sports tiers — had lined up an investor that backed out at the last minute, prompting the need to take quick action.

One World CEO Sandy Brown said some of the reported signs of financial distress weren’t accurate but didn’t give specifics. He said talks were ongoing with a potential investor and he was optimistic a deal would be reached. “We’re very excited about where the network is headed,” Brown told The Wire. “We’ve got a very bright future and we’ve just got to get through this.”

The channel is owned by One Media Corp., a Dallas investment firm headed by Seamus O’Brien. He’s also the owner of the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, and Cosmos games air on One World Sports. That team and the league itself are in financial difficulties, according to reports. OWS also airs international hockey, basketball and golf matches, along with table tennis and badminton competitions. It’s landed several deals with distributors that were otherwise locking horns with pricier networks.

— Mike Farrell

Niche sports channel One World Sports has furloughed certain workers in an effort to cut costs, and the network is in talks with a potential buyer.

News of the furloughs was first reported by sports web site Awful Announcing. 

According to sources familiar with the company, a potential investor One World Sports was courting dropped out of the picture, which forced the sports network to look for short-term cost cutting opportunities, including the furloughs. One World also is in talks to sell the channel to an investor that can help it scale expenses.

According to Awful Announcing, the troubles at One World are much deeper. Citing anonymous sources, the website said that despite president and CEO Sandy Brown’s characterization of the furloughs as temporary and involving “some” employees, every employee has been let go and that the company regularly missed payroll and failed to pay vendors.

In addition, Awful Announcing reported that Brown told employees Sunday that he was seeking a buyer and if one wasn’t found this week, One World Sports would file for bankruptcy protection. 

In a brief interview, Brown told Multichannel News that much of Awful Announcing’s information was inaccurate, but he wouldn’t give specifics.

“We’re very excited about where the network is headed,” Brown said in an interview. “We’ve got a very bright future and we’ve just got to get through this.”

While he said he could not give specifics about sales talks, he was confident a deal will be reached soon.

“I think we’re going to get this resolved,” Brown said.

One Word Sports was formed in 2010 and is owned by Dallas-based One Media Corp. The network primarily offers NASL soccer games – One Media’s chairman is New York Cosmos owner Seamus O’Brien – English soccer from Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, and FC Bayern Munich and top soccer from Asia and the Pacific Rim. The network also telecasts the England National Cricket Team’s international home matches, Kontinental Hockey League, Champions Hockey League, Chinese Basketball Association, OneAsia Golf Tour, and table tennis and badminton competitions around the world.

The Cosmos and the NASL also are having difficulty. ESPNFC reported that the Cosmos denied reports of shutting shut down operations and said the club's future would be decided after wrapping up negotiations with the league. The NASL itself is having problems and other club owners are currently meeting in Atlanta with potential investors in the hopes of keeping the second-tier league afloat.

One World Sports is available in about 43 million U.S. homes and has carriage deals, mainly on sports tiers, with Charter Communications, DirecTV, Verizon Fios, Mediacom Communications, RCN, Atlantic Broadband and others.  

This item was updated on Dec. 1 to correct a reference to the ESPNFC story linked above.

BitTorrent is also teaming with One World Sports to live-stream ten Ivy League football games this season for free via the recently launched BitTorrent Live service, starting with Saturday’s game between Yale and Colgate that kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET.

One World Sports and millennial-focused sports fan service Whistle Sports announced a similar deal to offer those games this season via Facebook Live.

BitTorrent launched its virtual MVPD service in May. Using a peer-to-peer platform that it claims is more efficient than other streaming technologies, BitTorrent Live is initially featuring programing from partners that include BitTorrent News, France 24, FightBox, FilmBox Arthouse, Nasa  TV, Clubbing TV, AWE, QVC, One World Sports, and Newsmax, among others, but has plans to add subscription pay TV tiers, ad-supported content and PPV premium tiers

BitTorrent Live is currently offered on Apple TV and Fire TV boxes, and Macs, and is working on versions that run on iOS, Android and Windows devices.

Following tomorrow’s game, here’s the remaining schedule for the live streams on BitTorrent Live and Whistle Sports:

-September 24 at 2 p.m.: Harvard at Brown

-October 1 at 1:30 p.m.: Lehigh at Yale

-October 8 at 1 p.m.: Cornell at Harvard

-October 15 at 3 p.m.: Columbia at Penn

-October 22 at 1:30 p.m.: Dartmouth at Columbia

-October 29 at 12:30 p.m.: Princeton at Cornell

-November 5 at 1:00 p.m.: Columbia at Harvard

-November 12 at noon: Brown at Princeton

-November 19 at 1:30 p.m.: Dartmouth at Princeton

One World Sports will enter the boxing ring through a multi-year deal with boxing promotion company GH3 Promotions, the network said Thursday.

The first show as part of the deal will air on One World Sports Nov. 12 with a main event bout featuring super bantamweight champion Adam Lopez, according to the network. 

"One World Sports is excited to debut live boxing on the network with a multi-year agreement with GH3 Promotions that will highlight both current and aspiring boxers on a national platform," said Todd Myers, Vice President, Programming, Acquisitions & Development for One World Sports. "One World Sports continues to broaden its distribution with new affiliations like DirecTV & AT&T U-verse and evolving its programming with more domestic based properties and marquee sporting events from around the world."

One World Sports, which recently came off Dish Network and Sling TV after a carriage deal lapsed, has been added to AT&T-owned DirecTV and U-verse sports packages as of Labor Day under a new agreement. The channel -- with rights to assorted sports leagues and event rebroadcasts including North American Soccer League games, Kontinental Hockey League contests and, new this fall, Ivy League football (starting with Colgate vs. Yale on Saturday, Sept. 17) -- joins the DirecTV Sports Pack at channel 623 and U-verse's The Sports Package at channel 1665.  

“One World Sports offers an alternative for viewers who are passionate about sporting events that don’t often receive wide coverage in the U.S. like rugby and cricket,” Rob Thun, senior vice president, Content and Programming, for AT&T said in a release. “We anticipate One World Sports will be a popular addition to our Sports Pack for all kinds of fans.”

“The media landscape is evolving rapidly, but this transaction underscores that live sports, with its mix of excitement, immediacy and fan loyalty, continues to attract and retain subscribers,” Alexander “Sandy” Brown, CEO at ONE World Sports, said in the release. “We’re thrilled that DirecTV and U-verse have added One World Sports, an independently owned network, to their lineups.”

One World Sports says it is available to more than 43 million U.S. multichannel-TV homes and is an option on the Apple and Google Play stores. 

Claiming that a required provision for “most favored nation” status in its carriage contract was unacceptable, sports network One World Sports said it has opted not to renew its five-year carriage deal with Dish Network and its OTT service Sling TV.

Effective 7 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 30), One World Sports was no longer available to Dish and Sling TV customers.

In a statement, One World said it objects to MFN provisions because they “limit a network’s ability to expand in a rapidly changing marketplace. With an insistence on MFN terms that were imbalanced relative to the network’s carriage, our preference was to provide another in a series of short-term extensions while we worked through a new agreement reflecting our limited availability to Dish subscribers. Regrettably, Dish declined an extension.”

Typically MFNs prohibit a content provider from cutting deals with other distributors at more favorable terms.

In a statement, Dish said that it “constantly evaluates the content we carry and we work to provide channels that our customers’ demand. As a result, sometimes channels are removed based on a combination of customer interest and business terms to carry the channels. For these reasons, One World Sports was removed from the Dish platform.”

Another factor that may have led to the impasse is One World’s desire to seek different terms in its renewal, such as inclusion in a domestic sports package in HD across all platforms instead of the standard definition carriage in an ethnic channel package it had previously enjoyed.

“It is our desire for the network to have carriage on Dish with packaging consistent with, and in a format, where fans look for live sports content,” One World said in a statement.

 “While we know this is the best business decision for our network, we deeply regret how this may impact our viewers and their ability to watch all the exciting programming slated for September,” One World said in its statement.

One World is scheduled to kick off its college football coverage on Sept. 17 with the Yale Bulldogs hosting the Colgate Raiders. The network also continues coverage of the North American Soccer League (NASL) with its Game of the Week and NASL This Week highlight shows and live coverage of all the New York Cosmos’ home and away games. Already underway on the network are Kontinental Hockey League and Champions Hockey League action and the European soccer season featuring Arsenal FC, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich FC. 

FuboTV, the “sports-first” virtual MVPD, has expanded its lineup with the addition of One World Sports.

The addition adds in live and exclusive coverage of sporting events including England Cricket National Board matches, PRO Rugby, IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, Kontinental Hockey League and the Chinese Basketball Association. One World Sports also features exclusive soccer club channel programming from Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Juventus FC, a NASL Game of the Week and all New York Cosmos home and away games.

FuboTV recently surpassed 50,000 subscribers and supports several platforms, including Web browsers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Amazon  Fire TV, Roku players and Roku TVs, Google’s Chromecast adapter, and the new Apple TV.

One World Sports is distributed to more than 30 million homes via a mix of cable, telco, satellite and OTT distribution partners. 

One World Sports has inked an expanded deal with Verizon Communications that will bring its content to go90, Verizon’s new "mobile-first" video offering, while also covering HD  distribution on FiOS TV and TV Everywhere rights.

On the go90 end, One World Sports is offering access to “all the global sports” carried by the programmer, including baseball from Japan, basketball from China, hockey from Europe and Russia, cricket from England and soccer from the UK, Europe and Asia.

Its HD feed is now offered on FiOS TV channel 597, and can be streamed via the FiOS Mobile app for iOS and Android mobile devices.

Speaking on last week’s Q4 earnings call, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo acknowledged that the go90 app had been downloaded more than 2million times, but said the key to the offering is now downloads but around “viewership and…content,” including content that appeals outside go90’s core millennials audience.

“Internally we have surpassed what we thought we would have at this point in time,” he said. “We have set higher targets for 2016, because we need to build the viewership in a much quicker fashion.”

Go90, he said, isn’t expected to turn a profit “within a one to two-year horizon,” he added. “When we launched it, we said two to three, but it’s probably two years before that will become a profit contributor to the enterprise.”

Verizon launched go90 on October 1, 2015.

One World Sports has reached an agreement with Harvard University Athletics to air five home hockey games from the storied institution beginning at the end of this month.

One World Sports will feature three men’s hockey events and two women’s hockey contests, with all five productions simulcast on the Ivy League Digital Network. 

The Harvard ice hockey games being featured on One World Sports include:

• Saturday, January 30                      Women’s Hockey vs. Princeton                                 4:00 PM
• Saturday, February 6                      Women’s Hockey vs. Yale                                            4:00 PM
• Friday, February 12                         Men’s Hockey vs. Rensselaer                                     7:00 PM
• Saturday, February 13                    Men’s Hockey vs. Union                                               7:00 PM
• Saturday, February 20                    Men’s Hockey vs. Colgate                                            7:00 PM

“While ice hockey continues to grow in popularity in the United States, it is the leading sport in Canada and there are nearly 1.5 million participants worldwide competing,” said One World executive vice president, programming & production Joel Feld in a statement. “When we learned that nearly one-third of the ice hockey players at Harvard and its opposing teams were from outside the United States, we saw these collegiate match-ups as a great complement to our current KHL and CHL coverage and a way to showcase these competitions nationally.”

The Harvard Men’s & Women’s Hockey Teams are each ranked in the national polls at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, and currently sit in the top five of the ECAC Hockey standing. Both programs also boast a top-five defense at the national level.

“We’re excited to feature both of our successful ice hockey teams on ONE World Sports and gain exposure for our athletes and programs on a growing distribution network,” said Harvard University director of multimedia & production Imry Halevi in a statement. “We’re always looking for new ways to tell our story – what makes Harvard University and the Ivy League different and special in the world of college athletics – and this is a great opportunity to share our story by expanding the reach of our in-house broadcasts.”

Live sports programming has arguably been the biggest driver of cable ratings so far this year, with a number of events setting industry and network ratings records.

The popularity of sports content is also causing former pay TV subscribers to think twice about their decision to cut the cord, according to a new Frank N. Magid Associates survey. 

Among consumers who have cut the pay-TV cord within the last two years, but have expressed an interest in subscribing again, 39% say sports channels are a reason to return, according to the survey commissioned by One World Sports. In addition, nine out 10 sports fans surveyed say they watch sports on a television set rather than a mobile device. 

The Internet however, is scoring points with sports fans. The survey reports that 37% of all sports fans say they often watch sports streamed online, while 37% say they watch sports on computers. Another 25% say they watch sports programming on smartphones and tablets.

“Sports remains the most DVR-proof form of video content,” said Alexander “Sandy” Brown, President & CEO of ONE World Sports. “The excitement, immediacy and community around sports contests demand live viewing, whether that viewing takes place via an antenna, or a pay-TV provider, or via a live web stream.” 

Sports fans can watch plenty of sports on various platforms – with a cable subscription. Authenticated cable subscribers can watch most nationally distributed live games through various TV Everywhere outlets from ESPN, Fox Sports 1, NBCSN, One World Sports and other services.

 Other standalone digital offerings, such as Dish’s Sling TV, include some sports networks, but nothing can compare to the multitude of live pro and college team sports, boxing, mixed martial arts and other sports offered as part of a traditional pay TV package. 

“Whatever the format, the findings support that people want to watch sports live, and on the best – typically largest and most crisp – available screen,” added Brown.

One World Sports said it has extended its multi-year licensing deal with Arsenal FC TV, the British soccer club’s official TV channel, for multi-platform use in the U.S. and Canada.

 “The renewal of our partnership with Arsenal enables One World Sports to offer premium soccer content with full access to one of the most popular global sports brands to our North American audience,” said One World executive vice president, programming & production Joel Feld in a statement. “What sets our coverage apart from other networks is the intense match day action combined with the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Arsenal club that fans in the United States and Canada can’t find anywhere else.”

Under the agreement, with international media rights agency MP & Silva, One World Sports will deliver Arsenal’s games throughout the 10-month season, including those within the English Premier League (EPL), Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Championship and Football Association (FA) Cup.  In addition to the matches, One World Sports’ Arsenal FC programming on both its network and mobile platforms includes pre- and post-match interviews, features and analyses.  One World Sports will also provide an insider’s view of the club with exclusive player and coach profiles, historical reviews and engaging insights with top players.

“We’re delighted that One World Sports has renewed its contract to partner with Arsenal and its continued commitment to delivering Arsenal TV across North America,” said Arsenal Football Club general manager Ben Ladkin in a statement.  “It’s a great opportunity for all our fans to watch Arsenal programming and get closer to the club and we’re looking forward to working with them to deliver more great content." 

London-based Arsenal FC is among the most storied soccer clubs in the U.K, with 13 titles in the top English tiers – First Division and Premier League – and a joint record 11 Football Association (FA) Challenge Cups including its most recent 4-0 victory in 2014 over Aston Villa.  Arsenal kicks off their season against West Ham United at home on Aug. 9.

 “We have a long-term strategic media partnership with Arsenal FC with a record distribution of the Arsenal Media Channel to 130 territories, in five continents and 30 million supporters around the world,” said MP & Silva’s CEO, Marco Auletta in a statement. “The following of soccer in the United States and Canada has proven to be one of our key growing markets and we continue to build a strong reputation for Arsenal – one of the world’s most successful and best-known clubs.”

One World Sports named Rachel Gary director of media strategy & communications for the independent sports network.

Gary will oversee all of the network’s communications strategies including the creation and execution of an integrated media plan to build greater awareness of One World Sports, its programming and its executives. One World Sports, based in Stamford, is available in more than 30 million homes.

Gary has more than 20 years of experience leading publicity and marketing efforts in both the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Most recently, she served as director of communications for the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games. Prior to that, she led media relations efforts for Clear Channel Entertainment, Women’s Sports Foundation, 16W Marketing, United Football League, TEST Football Academy and Parisi Speed Schools. Gary got her start in public relations serving as assistant media director for the Volvo International and Pilot Pen Tennis Tournaments in New Haven, Conn.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rachel to One World Sports,” said One World Sports President & CEO Alexander “Sandy” Brown in a statement. “Rachel brings a wealth of knowledge, as well as a strategic vision, to the role and will create communications solutions that align with ONE World Sports’ mission of driving greater brand awareness to affiliates, investors, media and other key influencers which will ultimately benefit the avid sports fan.” 

This month One World launched a partnership with the North American Soccer League (NASL) for exclusive NASL programming.

“I am excited to be joining the team at One World Sports,” Gary said in a statement. “Viewership of international sports is at an all-time high so this is the perfect opportunity to build upon this interest for greater awareness of the network and to introduce a whole new audience to innovative, live international sports programming.”

One World Sports is bowing its app for mobile devices.

A hybrid, Watch One World Sports, is available at no charge in the Apple and Google Play stores.

Watch One World Sports delivers live-streamed games, matches and other programming to authenticated subscribers of the global sports network's distribution affiliates, including Verizon FiOS, Dish, Charter, Cablevision, Mediacom, Google Fiber, RCN and a growing number of systems through its master agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative. The network, presenting soccer from around the globe, including the New York Cosmos, Japanese basesball, hockey, basketball and cricket, is available to some 30 million homes across the nation. 

Additionally, the app provides content to all users, regardless of whether they are subscribers, enabling them to follow the network’s sports via video highlights, updated specifically for the app throughout the day, and on-demand content from an extensive library drawing from the network’s broad portfolio of global sports. The app also offers RSS feeds of news, standings and league tables; Twitter feeds; and a program guide.  Other features include Twitter and Facebook sharing tools and navigation by sport.

“There are two undeniably growing trends among younger sports fans,” said Alexander “Sandy” Brown, One World Sports president and CEO.  “One is that they consume sports on mobile devices; the other is that they have an increasingly global viewpoint.  Watch One World Sports hits the sweet spot for any sports fan.”

One World Sports has added three more distributors to its growing affiliate roster.

The global sports service has inked deals with Service Electric, enTouch and Paul Bunyan Communications, under its master agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative.

Service Electric serves subscribers throughout the Lehigh Valley and Wilkes Barre, Penn., as well as Hunterdon, N.J., and surrounding areas.  

Paul Bunyan counts subscribers in Bemidji and Grand Rapids, Minn., while enTouch serves the greater Houston area.

“Soccer and other global sports are increasingly popular in every region of the United States, especially among our core audience of hard to reach 18-to-34-year-olds,’” said Randy Brown, executive vice president, distribution, of One World Sports.  “Our recent agreement with the NCTC, which opened the door to these latest launches, reinforces our growing industry support.”

One World Sports, which also counts Verizon FiOS, Dish Network, Charter Communications, Cablevision’s Optimum TV and Mediacom Communications among its affiliates,  provides more than 3,000 hours annually of exclusive best-in-class sporting events – including socer, notably the New York Cosmos (pictured), baseball from Japan, basketball from China, cricket from England, ice hockey from Europe and Russia, and golf and soccer from around the globe.

One World Sports has expanded its relationship with the New York Cosmos through a renewal deal.

Under the multiplatform pact, financial terms of which were not disclosed, One World Sports will televise all of the 30 team's 2015 NASL regular-season games, as the upcoming campaign will mark the first time the global sports service will air the team's away matches.

“Cosmos fans have been clamoring to see away games,” said Alexander “Sandy” Brown, One World Sports president and CEO.  “Thanks to our new agreement, we’ll be able to ensure fans can catch all the action throughout the spring and fall NASL seasons.”

In the New York area, Cosmos fans will be able to watch the club on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, channel 1159; Dish Network, channel 9794; Verizon FiOS, channel 309; and RCN, channel 571. 

One World Sports is also available on mobile devices via a Watch One World Sports app for authenticated customers.

For the April 4 spring season opener, the Cosmos head to Fort Lauderdale to face the Strikers, which made the 2014 NASL playoffs. The April 18 home opener will see the Cosmos battle the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium.

"This is great news for our fans and another step in the growth our club and the NASL," Cosmos COO Erik Stover said.  "One World Sports, with its very high-quality production values, has been a tremendous partner for us, so we’re delighted that our road games will also be broadcast this season.”

The full Cosmos schedule will be available on ONEWorldSports.com as the season approaches.

About ONE World Sports

ONE World Sports is a multiplatform sports network featuring exclusive best-in-class sporting events, live from around the globe. The network was created to fulfill American sports fans’ growing demand for global sports.  ONE World Sports delivers live and exclusive coverage of some of America’s most popular sports played outside the USA – basketball, baseball, golf and ice hockey – plus sporting events with the largest global following, including soccer and cricket.

ONE World Sports showcases some of the world’s most competitive soccer, including Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, FC Bayern Munich, AC Milan, and the New York Cosmos, along with top soccer from Asia and the Pacific Rim. The network also exclusively telecasts the England National Cricket Team’s international home matches, Japan’s legendary baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants, Kontinental Hockey League, Champions Hockey League, Chinese Basketball Association, OneAsia Golf Tour and the top competitions in table tennis and badminton from around the world.

ONE World Sports is available via Verizon FiOS, DISH Network, Charter Communications, Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Mediacom Communications, Hawaiian Telcom, Google Fiber, RCN, Atlantic Broadband and a growing number of systems through the NCTC.

ONE World Sports, headquartered in Stamford, CT, is owned and operated by ONE Media Corp., which also owns and operates ONE CONNXT, a global HD/SD broadcast video transport services provider; and America ONE Sports, a leading provider of live broadband sports.

For more info, see www.oneworldsports.com.

Continuing to build its distribution base, One World Sports has inked a master agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative.

The pact, financial terms of which were not disclosed, has already resulted in two NCTC members, RCN and Atlantic Broadband, adding One World Sports to their distribution lineups.

The NCTC pact makes the network, which has the rights to a bevy of international sports properties, available to all of the cable cooperative’s nearly 1,000 members, which collectively reach some 12 million subscribers across the U.S.

“More and more fans in every pocket of the country – especially ‘millennials’ -- are embracing if not clamoring for sports from around the world,” said Randy Brown, executive vice president, distribution, of One World Sports.  “Our agreement with NCTC, a fabulous organization helping bring top-flight programming to viewers throughout the USA, is the latest major step in our successful effort to reach those fans.”

Noted NCTC executive vice president of programming Judy Meyka: “Our member companies serve subscribers that are increasingly embracing soccer and other global sports. We appreciate independent programmers like One World Sports that have a clear brand identity and focus on content such as global sports and are also highly supportive of our independent cable distributor members.”

Previously, another NCTC member, Hawaiian Telecom, had concluded its own deal with One World Sports.

The global sports proponent also counts Verizon FiOS and Charter Communications, both of which signed on last year, as well as Dish Network, Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Mediacom Communications, Hawaiian and Google Fiber on its affiliate roster.

The rollout with RCN has placed One World on the provider’s systems in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, as well as in New York, where subscribers can join Optimum and FiOS customers  in watching New York Cosmos soccer action.

The Atlantic Broadband launch also opens up more viewing to futbol fans in the South Florida area.

In addition to the Cosmos, One World Sports showcases plenty of soccer action, including matches and related programming from Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, FC Bayern Munich and AC Milan. It also has the rights to futbol from Asia and the Pacific Rim, notably the Asian Cup, the 16-team tournament that it is making available in Canada on a streaming, subscription basis.

Among its more than 3,000 programming hours, the network also televises the international home matches of  England's national cricket team, Japanese baseball squad, the Yomiuri Giants, the Kontinental Hockey League, Champions Hockey League, the Chinese Basketball Association, OneAsia Golf Tour, and the top competitions in table tennis and badminton from around the world.

One World Sports is now kicking it around on RCN.

Beginning today, the global sports network is now available to RCN digital TV subscribers on the provider’s Premiere Sports Tier in both the standard- (channel 393) and high-definition format (571) in the New York DMA and throughout most of the distributor’s footprint.

The deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, will afford RCN subscribers in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley with more than 3,000 hours annually of exclusive sporting events, including baseball from Japan, basketball from China, cricket from England, ice hockey from Europe and Russia and golf and soccer from around the world. 

The deal should bolster the Big Apple audience for New York Cosmos, the 2013 North American Soccer League champions.  One World, which is also carried by Verizon FiOS, Dish Network, Charter Communications, Cablevision, Mediacom Communications, Hawaiian Telcom and Google Fiber, is the Cosmos’ television home, and also features programming from renowned international soccer clubs via Arsenal FC TV, Chelsea FC TV and FC Bayern Munich TV. In January 2015, the network will also carry live, exclusively in the United States, the AFC Asian Cup, an international soccer tournament.  

“Global sports programming such as that provided by One World Sports appeals to our diverse customer base whose appetite for sports extends across the globe,” said Chris Fenger, RCN executive vice president and COO.  “Like RCN, One World Sports is an independent provider nimble enough to target a diverse audience segment with a strong emphasis on delivering high quality content. More and more people are showing interest in international sports offered by ONE World Sports, and we are excited to make these events available to our viewers.”

“Our agreement with RCN gives us an additional foothold in the New York market, where we’re seeing particularly strong demand, as well as an entrance to other key top-10 markets,” said Randy Brown, executive vice president of distribution of One World Sports.  “In fact, all of RCN’s markets, spanning the East from Boston to Virginia, plus west to Chicago, present an excellent opportunity for our network, since our research shows that these regions demonstrate a solid fan interest in soccer and other global sports.”

Verizon FiOS will kick off offer a free two-week preview of One World Sports later this month.

From Oct. 18 through Nov. 3 all of FiOS's 5-million-plus video customers will have access to the global sports network's lineup. The telco launched the network on its FiOS TV Extreme and FiOS TV Ultimate packages in April.

Among the programming highlights during the freeview span is "Super Soctober Saturday," as One World Sports will devote its Oct. 25 schedule to array of futbol fare,  featuring eight soccer matches over an 18.5-hour span.

Underlining the network's global lineup, Super Soctober Saturday features the first leg of the AFC Champions League Final, live from Sydney, Australia; a trio of J. League matches from Nippon; an A-League derby matchup from Australia between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City; plus an encore presentation of the 2014 FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Hull City. 

In primetime, the network travels westward across The Pond to showcase the defending NASL champion New York Cosmos as they face their long-standing rival, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, live at 7:30pm  (ET).

The network is also flanking the preview gambit with “One World Sports Super Soctober Sweepstakes” in which the winner and a guest will be flown to London, to see the Premier League action pitting Arsenal versus Everton F.C. at Emirates Stadium on Feb, 28, 2015. Viewers can enter the “Super Soctober Sweepstakes” at www.oneworldsports.com.

During the preview period, FiOS customers also will have a chance to see the start of the Chinese Basketball Association season when the defending champions Beijing Ducks and its star, former New York Knick Stephon Marbury, take on the Guangdong Southern Tigers, featuring recent American high school recruit, Emmanuel Mudiay, who is projected to be one of the top picks in the 2015 NBA 2015 draft.  Plus, six live Kontinental Hockey League games and the final leg of the AFC Champions League Finals will be telecast during the freeview. 

FiOS will promote One World Sports in a number of its marketing channels, including cross-channel spots, email communication, web banners and a presence on the interactive media guide that all subscribers see when they turn on their TVs.  

In addition to Verizon, One World Sports has affiliate pacts with Dish Network, Charter Communications, Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Mediacom Communications, Hawaiian Telcom and Google Fiber.

Following coverage of the stretch run and playoffs last season, One World Sports has inked a multiyear, multiplatform rights deal with the Kontinental Hockey League.

Under the pact, the global sports proponent will carry up to 99 live games, including 50 regular-season contests and complete coverage of the playoffs and the Gagarin Cup Finals in April.

The deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, was negotiated for the KHL by UFA Sports GmbH.

Sportscaster Ed Cohen, who, among numerous hosting roles, has served as an NHL Network anchor and called last year’s KHL playoffs and Gagarin Cup Finals coverage for ONE World Sports, will be calling games again this season.

One World Sport’s commitment to the KHL expands its ice hockey portfolio – the programmer is also airing the inaugural campaign of Europe’s Champions Hockey League

“The KHL offers some of the best professional hockey in the world,” said Joel Feld, ONE World Sports executive vice president, of programming and production.“This year we have extended programming agreements with major professional sports leagues on three continents. Now, fans in the U.S. and Canada can experience high-level professional hockey while following their favorite NHL alumni in the KHL.”

“Our previous one-year deal with ONE World Sports was a chance to introduce the KHL and our quality production to American fans,” said Ilya Kochevrin, KHL-Marketing’s CEO and league vice president. “The current multiyear contract extension underscores our commitment to our U.S. broadcast partner and increases the number of KHL games available to American sports fans by 80%.  The upcoming season, featuring KHL ‘heavyweights’ as well as European and Russian newcomer teams, will surely excite passionate hockey fans.”

The Russia-based KHL was founded in 2008 and includes 28 teams from Russia and Europe. Teams hail from Finland, Belarus, Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Russia.  Several dozens of former NHL players have decided to continue their careers in the KHL during the League’s years of operation. The 2013-2014 season featured former Nashville Predator Alexander Radulov, currently the KHL’s top scorer; former Maurice Richard Trophy winner Jonathan Cheechoo; former Atlanta Thrashers and New Jersey Devils star Ilya Kovalchuk; and Sandish Ozolinsh, the Latvian-born, six-time NHL All-Star who recently retired to enter politics.

In April, Metallurg Magnitorogsk won the seven-game playoff final series, securing a championship for coach Mike Keenan on the 20th anniversary of his 1994 Stanley Cup victory as the head coach of the New York Rangers and the first ever Gagarin Cup victory for the Magnitogorsk squad.

With the recent launch on Charter systems, One World Sports has built its subscriber base to some 30 million. It also has affiliate deals with Verizon FiOS, Cablevision, Dish Network, Mediacom, Hawaiian Telcom and Google Fiber.

A year after initiating a rebrand and moving into a new state-of-the-art production facility in Stamford, Conn., One World Sports is celebrating with the addition of Charter to its growing distribution roster.

As part of a multiyear, multiplatform agreement, the global sports network has been rolled out on the MSO’s international package in Los Angeles, Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington, Nevada and Oregon, with the balance of Charter systems expected to come on board by year-end.

The Charter debut follows the April launch of One World Sports on Verizon FiOS’ TV Extreme and TV Ultimate packages and supplements the carriage pacts it has with Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Dish Network, Google Fiber, Hawaiian Telcom and Mediacom Communications.

The Charter deal will push One World’s base before some 30 million subscribers. That’s 40% expansion from 18 million homes a year ago, and a level that executives believe underlines the value distributors are placing on its content spanning various soccer, cricket, baseball and hockey properties and one that is opening doors with advertisers.

“Charter has a reputation as a disciplined operator and this is further evidence that distributors like our programming strategy, said executive vice president of distribution Randy Brown, the industry veteran who joined CEO Alexander “Sandy” Brown’s (no relation) team in January. “We believe the deal has a tailwind that will give us momentum in concluding deals with other distributors.”

“Charter customers are passionate about sports. As interest in international sports continues to gain popularity, we’re pleased that One World Sports brings Charter fans world-class sporting events like soccer, cricket and even American sports played outside our country,” said Charter senior vice president of programming Allan Singer. “We offer a wide variety of sports to our viewers and One World Sport is a great addition.”

Subscribers to Charter and other affiliates have TV and multiplatform access to some 3,000 live hours on One World, whose properties include club channel programming from top European soccer powers Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Chelsea, and A.C. Milan; the New York Cosmos from the North American Soccer League; the Asian Football Confederation Champions League; the J.League of Japan; the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball; the Chinese Basketball Association; and England’s national cricket team.

As part of additional 500 hours of new programming, One World recently inked a three-season deal with the fledgling Champions Hockey League comprising 44 clubs from 12 European nations. Brown called the circuit, which drops the puck on its inaugural campaign this month, “the UEFA Champions League of hockey,”  noting that sport’s profile has been raised by the Olympics and the cross-pollination of players who have skated for both NHL and for European sides. Some 100 Champions Hockey Leagues participants have played in the NHL, according to Brown.

One World is also negotiating toward an expanded renewal pact with Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, after showcasing some of the circuit’s regular-season and playoff and championship round action last spring.

As for the world’s game, Brown believes soccer is ready to soar with the recent competition in Brazil and NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the U.K.’s Barclays Premier League stoking futbol fever.

“If you look at semifinals of the World Cup, there were a lot of players on the teams we cover,” he said. “We show the matches on delay, as well as the press conferences and the behind-the- scenes things going around the clubs. Fans of Chelsea, Arsenal and Bayern can’t get enough."

Brown said the globalization of sports and its appeal to young adults underlines the continuing transformation of the network from one initially aimed at Asian expats -- “a focus that was “too limited to gain carriage” -- to a broader base of properties.

To that end, One World cites research from Frank N. Magid Associates, as well as viewing data that adults 18 to 34 and more broadly the 18-to-49 set have a growing recognition and taste for international competition. “The Census tells you the planet is becoming more multicultural,” said Sandy Brown. “Young people are well-traveled and are interested in sports from around the world.”

He said One World will continue to take “a judicious approach” to adding content, but is looking  to expand its presence by securing more properties not only in Europe and Asia, but in Mexico and Latin America.

It is also opening doors closer to home -- on Madison Avenue. Gary Herman, who joined from Tennis Channel in March as executive vice president, said One World has inked Geico as a “founding partner” and the advertising game plan calls to build that group to 10 to 12.

“We’re offering live sports in an environment with fewer pods and sponsors,” Herman said, not to mention low costs. He said that for less than half the cost of one spot in a major sporting event, advertisers could secure 4,000 units on One World.

Western Union and Nutrisystems recently ran schedules on the network via scatter buys that were also used to make ensure that the network’s back-end functioned properly, according to Herman, who expressed confidence that One World “would add five to seven founding partners over the next year.” 

The network is also focused on adding more distribution. As was the case with FiOS, the network wants to move from ethnic package positioning to sports tiers and beyond. Randy Brown said its pricing with Charter is structured to incentivize broader distribution, and that it inked the deal with the Stamford, Conn.-headquartered MSO in part as a means to “set the table for others to see us. We’re a sports network.” 

The network was well-received by small operators at last month’s Independent Show in Kansas City. “There’s a kinship with that group and their independent heritage, and our appeal as a best in class, low cost alternative to other more established players in the sports arena,” said Randy Brown.

“The operators see there is a credibility to the way we’re going about our business without leverage and bundling,” said Sandy Brown. “They like the way we’re trying to grow organically.”