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Portal identities and visions still echo the logics of broadcast sport, but the surfeit of content, screens and platforms offered by streaming services challenges their dominance. New practices are emerging, including multi-screen viewing and ‘datatainment’ (Hutchins, 2016). These extend beyond live footage to include interactive features and online marketplaces during mediated play.
Streaming
Whether you’re traveling abroad or just visiting a different TV market, a VPN can help you watch sports online. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through an intermediary server, which makes it appear as though you are in a different country. This means you can bypass regional restrictions and stream sports live without paying for a subscription service.
A good VPN for sports streaming should have a large network of servers in multiple locations, as this can improve your streaming speeds. It should also have no data caps, which are fixed limits on how much you can use the service each day.
Sports streaming services aren’t keen on people getting around their geo-restrictions, so many try to block VPN traffic when they spot it. However, if you use a VPN like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, you can get around these restrictions. Both have large server networks and offer fast connections, while NordVPN has no bandwidth cap.
Rights
While rights holders have long fought to protect their broadcast rights, the recent emergence of streaming platforms poses new challenges. In addition to securing sports rights in major territories, the new players are also developing a range of ancillary services including merchandise and data. This has forced established players to reconsider their strategies and priorities. For example, US-based streamer DAZN has rebalanced its portfolio by prioritising football and investing more in owned IP. The company has secured Serie A and Bundesliga rights in Europe, and is gaining momentum in Japan.
Rights holders are increasingly turning their attention to the development of counter-technologies to combat illegal live streaming. These tools could help them regain control over their rights in real time and protect the value of sports media. However, the success of these technologies is dependent on a number of factors, including copyright law and the maturity of ISPs. In the meantime, it is important for rights holders to continue focusing on negotiating high-profile sporting events.
Audiences
The marketing of portals is built on celebratory discourses that promise ‘efficiency, immediacy and flow’ for viewers (Alexander 2017: 3). However, these claims overlook the fact that technical problems – buffering, service interruptions, bandwidth limitations, programme crashes, video compression issues and drained batteries – are a routine part of the experience of streaming high-quality sport content via fixed and mobile Internet.
In contrast, broadcast television infrastructures have developed an enviable track record of robustness over decades, with transmission interruptions and pixelated screens being rare occurrences. Get more info on international sports coverage when you visit 스포츠중계.
Further, the non-linearity of portals enables them to curate on-demand sporting content that re-imagines a living room experience at a distance. This ‘datatainment’ includes virtual betting markets, real-time statistics and infographics, fantasy sports and live social media feeds that provide insights into the game and its participants. These features align with Lotz’s conceptualisation of portals as a space at the intersection of technology, culture and media practice. They also serve to reinforce the broadcast logics of a global market for sport coverage rights packages.
Platforms
The globalization of sports has led to the creation of digital platforms that air sports content from around the world. For example, beIN Sports offers a full range of soccer competitions, including Champion’s League and Europa League, while DAZN specializes in major boxing events. These new platforms have become a significant challenge to traditional broadcasters, as they compete with direct-to-consumer (DTC) services for sports video rights.
If you’re travelling abroad or your home country has dismal sport coverage, a VPN is the best way to stream live sport. A service like ExpressVPN sends your traffic through a private tunnel, protecting your privacy and bypassing ISP throttling. They also have a dedicated customer support team that can help you with any issues you may encounter while streaming. Their free trial is a great way to try out the service before buying. They offer a generous refund policy if you’re unsatisfied with the service.