Manchester City Women’s game on Sunday will be streamed on Facebook Live
Tomorrow’s FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup game between Manchester City Women and Doncaster Rovers Belles will be streamed on Facebook Live.
In a first for the UK, the competitive fixture, taking place at the Manchester City Football Academy with a 2pm BST Kick Off, will see table topping City take on Doncaster Rovers Belles.
Steph Houghton, Manchester City Women Captain, said: “I’m delighted that Manchester City fans from around the world will have the opportunity to watch us live on Sunday as we look to progress to the Semi-Finals, we hope to put on a great show for them!”
Table-topping Manchester City Women will be favourites to progress to the Semi-Finals – they are undefeated in the league this season with nine wins and two draws from 11 games played so far.
Doncaster Rovers Belles are propping up Women’s Super League 1 with no points after seven games and were thrashed 6-0 away at City earlier in the season.
Video streaming the future for football consumption?
Modern viewing platforms for football will increasingly become the norm over and above standard watching on terrestrial and satellite TV at home.
Radio and text via SMS, web and apps have been around for years for travellers who are away from home or unable to get in front of a domestic TV.
In the smartphone and tablet age, the likes of the BBC and Sky have iPlayer and Sky Go for people on the move and able to stream video.
BT Sport, who have a sizeable chunk of football rights in the UK, also have an app.
In the last few months, however, it’s been possible to stream live match content on Youtube with BT Sport providing the occasional Champions League game, including the final, in that format.
In the Netflix age, it’s now the turn of Facebook to turn video provider with a recent deal to show football to a potential audience of millions around the world.
Wayne Rooney’s testimonial was the first game between two Premier League clubs to be shown live on Facebook.
As a pre-season friendly, it wasn’t the best advert for live streaming – it was a drab goalless draw – but it’s a sign that the future is changing.