Sports leagues and federations around the world are launching their own direct-to-consumer streaming services. But it’ll be a while before they threaten traditional broadcasters
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Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],
Last evening, I watched a documentary called The Happiest Man in the World. It’s about Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho. Remember him? What a player! An absolute magician with the ball.
It’s a nice documentary, featuring interviews with not just Ronaldinho but also several family members, friends, and former teammates, managers, and club officials he played under. It also has a lot of video footage from his professional career—with Barcelona, AC Milan, and the Brazilian national team. All those outrageous tricks, feints, no-look passes, lifting balls over opponents—it’s all there.
Where did I watch it? Not on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ or any of your usual streaming platforms. The Happiest Man in the World is available on FIFA+. It’s a free, ad-based streaming service launched by FIFA, world football’s governing body, just last week.
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Apart from original documentaries, FIFA+ will have live matches from domestic leagues around the world, highlights and replays from previous FIFA tournaments, news, and a match centre with results and stats. On paper, it’s got the potential to become a one-stop shop for just about any football content you need.