Hania Poole Talks About B/R Lives Successful UEFA Launch

By
James Williams
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B/R Live got the UEFA coverage off on the right foot

 

This week I had the opportunity to have Hania Poole the senior VP of NCAA Digital and general manager of Bleacher Report (B/R) Live as my guest on Stream On with Jim Williams. This was launch week for Turner Sports new long-term deal with UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions that began with UEFA Super Cup battle between Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid streamed on both the TNT as well as the B/R Live apps.

They have three strong studio shows that all compliment the live action. B/R Football Matchday airs before the first match of the day. B/R Football Halftime is of course their halftime show. B/R Football Extra Time is the postgame show and all three are solid programs.

I will say that I was very impressed with the quality of their UEFA coverage as well as the streaming. Turner Sports never disappoints and they were spot on with their coverage of game one of over 300 plus matches that will be streamed on their service.

There is no question that Turner Sports has the streaming business down to a science and it shows with B/L Live as well as with both the TBS and TNT apps. So, the UEFA coverage is in good hands and as the season progresses look for interactive elements to be introduced to an already impressive package.

Here is a sample of my conversation with Poole as we talked about B/R Live and the UEFA deal as well as a peek into what is coming this fall so be sure to listen to the entire interview.

Jim Williams: It must have been fun to finally see the games begin this week after so much anticipation?

Hania Poole: It was great to be in master control and watch soccer on the monitors. We were so pleased to get this new relationship with UEFA off to such a great start.

JW: I watched the match on both the TNT app as well as the B/R Live app and I must say I was very impressed with how seamless everything was.

HP: Well we take the UEFA World feed and build our pregame, halftime and post games shows around the game of the day. I really was pleased with how our B/R Live studio team handled everything.  I would say that I think we got things off to a great start, so I am pleased and of course, I feel that will only get better.

JW: Let’s talk how about pricing.

HP: I think that we have given fans a very fair and most of all flexible way to enjoy the games You can buy a single game, you can pay by the month or by the year, so we have done our best to give fans plenty of options.

Here are the details and let’s begin with individual matches $2.99, while the monthly subscription is $9.99 and if you are a fan who likes a deal then take the annual plan $79.99.

Streaming options are also simple to find Bleacher Report Live is available online, as well as by downloading the B/R Live app through iTunes or Google Play, and/or via streaming services Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

47 UEFA matches are slated to stream on the TNT app (as well as the traditional ways you watch TNT) throughout the season, plus they will also stream on the B/R Live app.

The B/L Live app will really be the streaming home for the bulk of the matches with more than 340 matches streaming on the platform.

Look for the same model to be used on the B/R Live coverage of NBA through the network’s relationship with the leagues streaming service. NBA League Pass will also offer single-game purchases as well as monthly and yearly plans,

Video from B/R LIVE and Bleacher Report

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James Williams
Jim Williams is the Washington Bureau Chief, Digital Director as well as the Director of Special Projects for Genesis Communications. He is starting his third year as part of the team. This is Williams 40th year in the media business, and in that time he has served in a number of capacities. He is a seven time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and executive. He has developed four regional sports networks, directed over 2,000 live sporting events including basketball, football, baseball hockey, soccer and even polo to name a few sports. Major events include three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two World Series, six NBA Playoffs, four Stanley Cup Playoffs, four NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournaments (March Madness), two Super Bowl and over a dozen college bowl games. On the entertainment side Williams was involved s and directed over 500 concerts for Showtime, Pay Per View and MTV Networks.