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Photo Panoramic / Insidefoto

Fox Sports have announced that they have partnered with Facebook to broadcast Champions League matches live in the USA on Facebook Live from the 2017/18 season.

The deal includes two games per matchday in the group stage, as well as four Round of 16 matches and four quarter-finals. Some games will be exclusively broadcast on Facebook and Fox Sports Go, while others will be simulcast on digital platforms and on TV.

In addition, half of the games will be streamed in English on the Fox Sports Facebook page and the other half in Spanish on the Fox Deportes Facebook page.

“There are more matches in English and Spanish than we have networks to air them on,” David Nathanson, Fox Sports’ head of business operations explained. “Facebook has one of the most social soccer audiences on the web, and this is going to expose the Champions League to fans who aren’t tuning into a game on TV.

“As people spend more and more time on mobile devices and social networks, offering matches on this platform is a natural extension. This year’s UEFA Champions League final saw 34 million people have 98 million interactions on Facebook, so we are thrilled to be able to offer top-notch content to their immense soccer community.”

Photo Panoramic / Insidefoto
Photo Panoramic / Insidefoto

Dan Reed, Facebook’s Head of Global Sports Partnerships, added that “this collaboration unlocks new distribution for Fox, giving the network a national platform for matches that won’t always be televised. And with different matches broadcast in English and Spanish on Facebook, our community of fas will have plenty of action to cheer on and chat about once the group stage kicks off in September.”

Neither Fox Sports nor Facebook have revealed the financial details of the agreement, but it marks another step forward in the social media giant’s expansion towards live streaming after recently agreeing deals to live stream games from MLS and the Mexican league.