Perform Launches ePlayer in the U.S. with Sports Coup

Online video sports specialist Perform is launching its white label video platform ePlayer in the US having made local rights acquisitions of MLB, NBA, and NHL content.

ePlayer sits on over 450 websites in the U.K., including major publishing groups News International, Trinity Mirror Group, Daily Mail Media Group, Telegraph Media Group, and Guardian News and Media, and in April 2010 streamed 35 million videos and reached over 10 million unique viewers in the U.K.?Now it is aiming to crack the U.S. market. 

"We've got a lot of faith in this becoming a major market for us," says joint-CEO Oliver Slipper. "We're launching the player with very mainstream content having secured three of the four big leagues."

"While franchises have their own digital strategy, there is no one aggregating content," he says. "We can put together an aggregated cross-sport piece that will be distributed to local media outlets including 3,500 local newspaper networks. We'll also supplement content with localized MLB content and international sport content."

Perform already works with the Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) to power its online video channels and earlier this year signed with Fox Sports for the relaunch of Foxsoccer.tv.

This site streams over 700 live matches a year from soccer competitions, including England's Barclays Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, and Italy's Serie A.

ePlayer distribution is via Akamai and Level 3 content delivery networks.

Perform's U.K. online distribution content deals include the LV County Championship, Engage Super League, IAAF Athletics, Football League, and UFC to accompany the current ePlayer content portfolio that features Barclays Premier League football, England Test, One Day and Twenty20 cricket, and Guinness Premiership rugby.

In September, the group launched sports news service Omnisport offering multi-platform broadcasters over 15,000 news stories a year with fully integrated media and data content.

"Omnisport is the most comprehensive rights and territory-cleared multi-format sports news service available on the market," says Slipper.