One World Sports has connected on a renewal agreement for exclusive, multiplatform rights in the U.S. to all home games of the Yomiuri Giants for the 2014 Nippon Professional Baseball season.
The deal with Nippon Television Network Corp., financial terms of which were not disclosed, will enable One World Sports to again air the famed baseball squad’s on its linear TV and digital platforms. The network, which offers top-notch sports competitions from around the globe, has linear affiliate agreements with Dish Network, Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Mediacom Communications, Hawaiian Telcom and Google Fiber.
Additional highlights and short-form video from the games will be distributed on broadband via www.oneworldsports.com and through the network’s app, Watch One World Sports.
One World Sports will throw out the first pitch on its 2014 coverage with the Giants’ season opener on March 28.
“Having the legendary Yomiuri Giants on ONE World Sports last season was a home run for us, so we are delighted to be bringing back the team to the network for the 2014 season,” said Alexander Brown, president and CEO of One World Sports. “Nippon Professional Baseball has produced scores of players who have successfully transitioned to Major League Baseball, and the Giants are a topnotch member of our network roster of world-class programming.”
The rush of MLB teams to woo Golden Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka reflects the talent on display in the NPB. Tanaka—whose Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles won the Japan Series last season—signed a long-term deal with the New York Yankees early this year.
One World inked a deal with YES that allowed the regional sports network home of the Yankees to encore Tanaka's June 9, 2013 game against the Yomiuri Giants last month.
