Ekstraklasa partners with Dugout to expand
London, June 4, 2020
A new partnership will broadcast football content from Poland to a global audience of more than 60 million fans.
Partners Ekstraklasa SA and Dugout announced the deal Wednesday.
The former holds exclusive global media rights of Poland’s top professional league PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa and Dugout.com, well-known media channel in Europe, will distribute the content through its embed video player and a network of more than 85 premium publishers.
Television signal production company Ekstraklasa Live Park signed the contract on behalf of Ekstraklasa SA.
The new collaboration will ensure Ekstraklasa clubs build an even deeper connection with their fans and reach new audiences with high-quality, original and archive football content delivered worldwide via Dugout.com and its global network of 85 premium publishers.
The partnership marks Ekstraklasa’s highly anticipated return to live football that took place on May 29 with content now shared in markets excluding Poland and the Balkans.
Fiercely contested by 16 clubs, Ekstraklasa is Poland’s top professional league. Founded 93 years ago, 81 different teams have played in the league, with 16 different clubs winning the title since its conception.
Current league leaders Legia Warsaw are looking to win their 14th title with 8 points advantage over the current champion – Piast Gliwice.
After being launched by some of the world’s largest football clubs − including A.C. Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid – Dugout now has partnerships in more than 30 countries, with Ekstraklasa being its latest addition.
The leading digital media company distributes more than 2,500 brand-safe, professional videos a month delivering in excess of 400 million views globally and growing.
Dugout Co-Founder and Chairman Elliot Richardson said, “In the last few years, Ekstraklasa has seen consistent growth in its number of viewers and popularity both within Poland and globally. The league has a great reputation for its outstanding production quality and we look forward to working alongside Ekstraklasa to further help them with their global expansion. Ekstraklasa’s large global audience will now receive bespoke content delivered through our publishing partners and through dedicated channels on Dugout.com.”
Ekstraklasa Live Park CEO Leszek Miklas said, “As the League’s production arm, we are proud that our long-term investments in world-class production have enabled this partnership to take place. For many years now, Ekstraklasa LivePark has been working with Poland’s top professionals, who handle not only broadcasting production, but also daily editorial work, clipping and the creation of archive footage that documents the historic moments of the Polish Ekstraklasa League.”
The Pluralist 