Amazon is going to begin streaming English Premier League football matches on Twitch, for free, in the UK as it tries to give fans a chance to interact with one another while games are being played. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, matches are being held behind closed doors.
According to Deadline, Amazon is hoping that users on the streaming service will act a bit like pundits as they share their views using the chat feature. Given how long it has been since football stopped, Twitch users won’t have to wait that long before the first fixture; Crystal Palace vs Burnley on June 29.
With the crowds absent, the atmosphere of the stadium is completely different according to those lucky enough to get into the match. To address this, EA Sports has worked with Amazon, Sky Sports, and BT Sport, to develop synthetic crowd noises called Stadium Atmosphere. This will provide viewers with the sounds they’re typically used to hearing.
Commenting on the new technology and the matches in general, Alex Green, managing director of Amazon Prime Video Sport Europe, said:
“We are extremely passionate about delivering the best experience for our customers whilst following guidelines to ensure the safety of our production team. Beyond this, we have made a number of additions that bring extra choice to our customers in how they watch, from full-crowd Stadium Atmosphere to streaming our Prime Video fixtures on leading streaming service, Twitch.”
The matches will be presented by Gabby Logan and the pundits Roberto Martinez and Lee Dixon. Commentary for the games will be provided by Clive Tyldesley, Jon Champion, Peter Drury, and Ally McCoist.
In terms of free-to-air matches, Sky Sports has also announced that it will be showing 25 of its 64 games on Pick, available to all on Freeview and other TV services.
Source: Deadline
