Were were amazed at just how much the Eleven Sports brand grew in such a short amount of time. This time last year, nobody had really heard of Eleven Sports. Now, all of sudden, it's showing some of the biggest sport coverage on the planet.
So who are these guys? Eleven Sports was founded as an over-the-top (OTT) sports channel in 2015 and has been broadcasting in seven countries over recent years. Despite having an Italian owner – Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani – it is based in the UK, but only really came to the British sport fans’ attention when it snapped up the rights to show Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A football earlier this year.
It was a move that shook up the sector, suddenly ending twenty years of La Liga coverage for market monster Sky Sports and leaving BT Sport without Italian football for the 2018/19 season. But did it grow too quickly? They've now had to ship off that Serie A coverage to avoid going under. Will they see things through to the summer?
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What does Eleven Sports show?
Although Eleven Sports is also available in the likes of the US, Italy, Portugal, Poland and Singapore, in the UK its broadcast rights currently span only as far as across football and golf. The subscription channel shows:
- La Liga (Spain)
Serie A (Italy)- Eredivisie (Netherlands)
- Chinese Super League
- Major League Soccer (US)
- Allsvenskan (Sweden)
- Europa League (so far on ad hoc basis)
- US PGA Championship 2018
- LPGA golf
UFC
The two strike-outs in the list above are notable. In January 2019, Eleven had to pull out of showing Italian football and the rights reverted to rival subscription service Premier Sports instead.
As to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, it was due to start add that to the portfolio from January 2019 with 42 live UFC events in the year. But that also fell through before it even got started.
How much does Eleven Sports cost?
Given the strain on the bank account already caused by Sky and BT subscriptions, Eleven Sports suitors may be crunching the numbers carefully before committing to another sports service.
At present, there is only only one payment option available for Eleven Sports - a £5.99 monthly pass that can be broken any time. There used to be an annual plan as well, and it probably doesn't bode well that the more long term option has now been removed from the site.
Can I watch Eleven Sports for free?
A seven-day free trial to Eleven Sports used to be available for new subscribers in the UK, but that promotion now appears to have been withdrawn.
Another potential way of grabbing a slice of Eleven Sports for free is by tuning into its UK Facebook page for selected La Liga fixtures. These came thick and fast at the start of the season but have rather dried up now - we're keeping our fingers crossed that free football on Eleven Sports will return.
How do I watch Eleven Sports from outside the UK?
If you’ve tried to access the Eleven Sports subscription pages or even its UK Facebook profile from outside the country, you’ll probably have been told that you're not allowed because you're abroad. But don’t despair, with a VPN you can easily circumvent the block, set up an account and access all the Eleven Sports action you want.
To make life even easier, we’ve rounded up the very best VPN services on the market right now and have hand-picked three of the finest below. You will still need a UK credit or debit card to set up an Eleven Sports account using a VPN, but that won’t be necessary for accessing the free Facebook coverage when those events are on.
