The suspension of competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major setback for sports broadcasters, who are facing a huge, daily challenge to offer a premium product that keeps subscribers engaged.

OTT platform Eleven Sports Portugal – official broadcaster of most major European domestic leagues, as well as the UEFA Champions League and Europa League – is among the operators that have been forced to reshape their strategy just as the football season was about to reach its climax.

The costs will be high, but it hasn’t all been negative. Broadcasters and rights holders have joined forces like never before to deliver engaging content, and discovering interesting opportunities along the way. Live chats between players and pundits on social media platforms, eSports competitions involving real players, and archive content have turned out to be valuable assets.

Reruns of classic matches are being greatly appreciated by young fans and millennials are now watching football legends from bygone eras play for the first time in their lives; and they are demanding more and more of the same.

Can this open new monetisation opportunities for properties and broadcasters? How else will COVID-19 disrupt sports broadcasting, and what impact will it have on the football rights market? All this and more with Eleven Sports Managing Director for Portugal, Jorge Pavao de Sousa, in Episode 8 of #WFSatHome.