Eurosport Player review: discover the 'Netflix of sports' in Europe
Today we are reviewing a product that may suits all sport fan’s needs. Eurosport Player is the digital offer of Eurosport, a sports TV channel established in 1989 in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France and broadcasting in 50+ countries across Europe. Eurosport Player is an OTT service: Over-The-Top, meaning video is transmitted online, without requiring users to subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite pay-TV. Netflix and Molotov or other examples of this model that may represent the next evolution of TV.
Watch Eurosport live, anytime, anywhere: here is the promise of Eurosport Player. On your computer, tablet or mobile phone, the player gives you access to Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 live streams, plus additional bonus channels for major events. There is also the possibility to watch TV programs on demand (replay) and to rewind live broadcasts. To get access, you can choose between a monthly (€9.99) or annual pass (€69.99). These prices vary depending on your country, you can check current offers here.
Bonus channels are an exciting feature that can dramatically impact the way you experience a TV program. Take a tennis event like the French Open for instance, when a standard TV channel has to switch between games to give an overview of 16 games happening simultaneously, bonus channels can broadcast each of these games individually, letting the user choose his favorite player(s). Take motorsports events like MotoGP, British Superbike or Formula-e and you'll be able to select various camera angles from pilot view to chopper cam.
With the app, you can use Airplay (iOS) or Chromecast (Android) to watch everything on your TV screen. Note that the EPG (electronic program guide) will vary depending on your country since sports rights and exclusivities are dealt locally.
Strong licenses at Eurosport are historically around tennis (Australian Open), cycling (Tour de France) and motorsports (24h du Mans). But it’s also important to consider that the channel was fully acquired in July 2015 by the American group Discovery, global leader in real life entertainment, with the ambition for the Eurosport brand to become the home of sports in Europe. Given the group revenue (2x more than previous owner TF1), new sport rights acquisition are very likely.
In this spirit, Discovery bought the rights to 2018 and 2020*, 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games in Europe**. Bundesliga rights have been acquired in Germany, with Friday’s football games exclusively streamed on Eurosport Player. Italy recently got the Lega Basket and Euroleague (basketball) as a part of their portfolio. Nordic countries are already the home of football with the Europa League, Premiere League, Eliteserien… So brace yourself, as the best might be yet to come!
* except for France and UK
** except for Russia