Under-threat UK arm of Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani's Eleven Sports network to continue broadcasting

The UK and Irish arm of Eleven Sports, the online broadcast firm founded by Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani, is to continue operating after giving up rights to Serie A and Holland’s Eredivisie.
Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani, who founded Eleven Sports.Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani, who founded Eleven Sports.
Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani, who founded Eleven Sports.

Eleven Sports’ British and Irish project came under financial pressure before Christmas after heavy investment in sports TV rights failed to attract enough subscribers for its streaming service.

Successful bids for coverage of Serie A and La Liga matches - offers which beat Sky and BT Sport in the process - were announced with much fanfare last year but quickly left the UK branch of Eleven Sports at risk of closure.

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Leeds said prior to the turn of the year that the situation at Eleven would not impinge on Radrizzani’s running of the Championship club, where the Italian is majority shareholder with a stake of almost 90 per cent.

Eleven Sports has broadcast deals in other countries around the world but Radrizzani’s attempt to break into the UK market has so far failed to pay off.

Eleven is retaining rights to La Liga but will stop broadcasting Serie A and Eredivisie games at the end of February and pass the rights to Premier Sports.

A deal to show UFC action fell through in December, with BT Sport picking up those rights, and Eleven has now cut the cost of monthly subscriptions to its service to £4.99.

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A statement from Eleven said: “At this stage our priorities lie with our subscribers who who we hope will experience minimal disruption as a result of these developments.

“The strategic direction we have chosen allows us to focus on La Liga which not only drives real value for us in the UK and Ireland but is also a property which we continue to have a valued partnership with in five markets globally.”