NEW YORK: Endeavor, a global leader in sports, entertainment, and fashion with a portfolio of companies including WWE, IMG, and UFC, announced Tuesday the formation of Endeavor Streaming, encompassing the company’s video streaming products and services.
OTT leader NeuLion, acquired by Endeavor in 2018 for $250 million, will be absorbed within the new group alongside the newly and internally developed video platform technology, and now operate exclusively under the Endeavor Streaming moniker.
It will continue servicing leading properties like the NFL, NBA, UFC, and Euroleague, while welcoming new clients to the family including WWE and their WWE Network, one of the largest sports-entertainment OTT platforms in the world; UK-based BT and their new service and OSN, the Middle East and North Africa’s leading entertainment network.
The business will be co-led by Endeavor’s chief technology officer Nick Wilson and business operations chief Will Staeger. Staeger previously served as SVP within IMG’s original content division following time at ESPN, WWE and Dick Clark Productions.
“There is no better home for content owners – whether an established sports league or a rising new content creator – than Endeavor Streaming,” remarked Wilson and Staeger.
“We’ve integrated Endeavor’s scalable platform with NeuLion’s industry leading technology and feature set to provide clients with the best tools and services in video streaming, removing technology as a barrier in reaching their consumers.”
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon said: “Endeavor Streaming’s best-in-class technology enables us to offer more features, elevate the user experience and provides us even more opportunity to delight our fans around the world.”
The group will also continue supporting Endeavor properties like PBR (Ride Pass) and UFC (UFC.TV and Fight Pass). Endeavor Streaming recently handled the historic, record-breaking UFC 229: Khabib vs McGregor which attracted 2.4 million pay-per-view purchases globally. It also received the ‘OTT TV Service of the Year’ award at the annual Content Innovation Awards ahead of MIPCOM for its work on the NBA League Pass International product.
Meanwhile, the group has launched several new consumer products, including Serie A Pass and Strive, the latter of which features action from both Serie A and La Liga, Italy and Spain’s top professional soccer leagues respectively.
