Oct 11, 2024
At the helm of this groundbreaking venture are four industry veterans: Cathy Rasenberger, Geoff Clark, Ryan James, and James Patrick. Together, they’ve harnessed decades of expertise in sports media to create the most comprehensive sports FAST service available, covering over 75 countries and focusing on the U.S., where FAST platforms are gaining serious momentum. Leveraging the infrastructure of Sports Studio and the recently acquired Sports Tribal platform from the UK, they’ve built a streaming service that’s shaking up the industry with its premium, free-to-view model. Major platforms like Roku and Fire TV have already welcomed FreeLiveSports.TV, with launches on iOS, Android, and more set to follow.
But what sets FreeLiveSports.TV apart is its fans-first philosophy. In a world where sports content is often locked behind expensive paywalls, this platform is opening the gates, allowing viewers to enjoy thousands of hours of live and on-demand content at no cost. With channels dedicated to ACCDN, Boxing TV, MotoAmerica, PokerGo, and many more, fans can access both mainstream sports and niche competitions in one place.
In this edition of RedHolt Pulse and Play, we sit down with Cathy Rasenberger, the driving force behind FreeLiveSports.TV, to explore the vision that shaped this ambitious platform. Along with co-founders Geoff, Ryan, and James, Cathy is reshaping how fans, leagues, and advertisers engage with sports. Here, she shares the journey of building FreeLiveSports.TV and how it’s set to revolutionize the sports streaming world.
My partners and I have been in the business of developing, launching, monetizing and distributing successful OTT apps and cable and streaming channels for years. Despite the recent explosive growth of FAST (Free Ad Supported Streaming TV) channels, particularly in the US, the sports category has been largely undeveloped and underrepresented on FAST. As a team, we are extremely passionate and bullish about the opportunities for sports in FAST. Just as live sports was the main driver behind the growth of Cable and Pay TV, sports will be the engine for increased adoption, viewership and ad revenue in FAST.
In June, 2024, we formed our new company Sports Studio,Inc. to acquire the assets of Sports Tribal, a global leader in free sports video streaming, known for offering Europe's largest collection of linear sports content. Building on this strong foundation, we rebranded and relaunched the platform as Free Live Sports, added several dozen new sports channels and VOD, and refocused our expansion into the dynamic US sports streaming business, where FAST viewership and monetization are exploding. At launch, last week, Free Live Sports was already the largest most comprehensive offering of free sports channels in the world, with over 100 sports channels and 1000+ hours of VOD, available in over 75 countries. We are rapidly expanding our content portfolio, growing our global footprint, driving revenue growth, and positioning the company for long term success.
As background, our company Sports Studio. Inc is a global sports platform, distribution and monetization company dedicated to delivering and monetizing free high-quality sports programming across linear and on demand platforms. As the owner and operator of Free Live Sports, we bring live on demand and exclusive sports content to a global audience at no cost to the viewer. We provide a powerful vehicle for brands to engage directly with sports fans, creating meaningful connections between advertisers and their target audience.
Additionally, Sports Studio provides FAST channel management services for our programming partners, creating, managing, monetizing and distributing FAST channels.Sports Studio also sub distributes bundles of sports channels to Telcos, CTV and Set Top box operators worldwide.
We are all Sports. All Free
2. What unique features or content do you plan to bring to FreeLiveSports.TV that sets it apart from existing sports streaming services?
We have a fans first strategy, offering sports channels in every category, for every fan, for free. We want fans to come to our platform to find the sport they love and discover new sports as well. Sports fans love community interaction around their favorite sports and teams, so we plan to introduce many new features to enhance the viewing experience and invite social interaction, including leaderboards, rewards, chat rooms, moderated UGC, gamification, sports data, shoppable TV, and more.
Its coming soon to Free Live Sports!
3. What role do you think technology will play in the future of sports streaming, and how will FreeLiveSports.TV leverage it?
Innovation is in our team's DNA. We are exploring ways to use AI to personalize our viewers' Electronic Program Guides. If a fan is passionate about wrestling, for example, we will have all the fight channels on our platform surface to the top of his/her EPG, which improves discovery, increases viewership and monetization. We are also experimenting with Shoppable TV, including interactive overlays, QR codes, and in content commerce. Additionally, we are in discussions with a company called OmniLive to provide multi-screen camera views in our partners' live sports programming.
The opportunities for innovation in sports streaming are endless!
4. Can you share any exciting plans or features that viewers can look forward to in the upcoming months on FreeLiveSports.TV?
Sports Studio Inc.is, creating several owned and operated sports channels. Our first channel, "Best of Free Live Sports" will include a heavy rotation of live events, exclusive and premium content from our channel partners on the Free Live Sports platform, and will be distributed globally thru CTV, Telco and set top box operators soon. We are also adding several new channels with existing and new programming partners, including social media influencers, well-known athletes and celebrities, that will be exclusive to Free Live Sports. So stay tuned!
5. How important is viewer feedback to you as you develop FreeLiveSports.TV, and how do you plan to incorporate it?
Viewer feedback is critical for our success at Free Live Sports. We are always on the prowl for new content that sports fans want and love, and welcome feedback about ways we can improve our lineup and viewing experience. Free Live Sports is currently available in North America, UK, EU, Australia, Asia, South America and Africa. Viewers can stream anytime from one of our apps available on smart TVs and mobile devices including ROKU, FIRE TV. Vizio, IOs, Android coming soon. To watch, go to http://www.freelivesports.tv.
Conclusion:
As the sports streaming landscape continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, platforms like FreeLiveSports.TV are not just adapting—they're leading the charge. The insights shared by Cathy Rasenberger and her team offer a clear vision of the future, where accessibility, diversity, and innovation in content delivery become the cornerstone of fan engagement. By embracing an ad-supported model and delivering both mainstream and niche sports, FreeLiveSports.TV is reshaping the industry and giving viewers unprecedented control over how they consume live sports.
The rise of FAST platforms like FreeLiveSports.TV underscores the importance of staying ahead of shifting consumer expectations and the growing demand for flexible, affordable access to content. The key takeaway? To thrive in this dynamic environment, businesses must be agile, forward-thinking, and willing to explore new models of content distribution.
At RedHolt, we specialize in recruitment and consulting for the streaming, media, and digital entertainment sectors. With our deep industry knowledge and expertise, we’re committed to helping our clients navigate these rapid transformations. Whether you're a company looking to innovate or expand your reach, we’re here to help you build the teams and strategies needed to succeed in this ever-evolving industry.
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