TORONTO and DUBLIN –Canadian Football League games and highlights will be carried on Joost, which bills itself as the world’s first broadcast-quality Internet television service, the league announced today.
Joost will apparently emerge from test mode October 1st, commercially launching itself to the world that day.
The CFL action will be featured on Wildcard Sports Network, the new Sports Channel from wireless video provider Wildwave. The CFL will become the first league in the world to be carried in season on Joost.
Joost “provides a new way of watching TV that combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with online interactive and community benefits, to bring an unprecedented selection of video content to viewers anytime, anywhere,” says the company.
“Partnering with Wildwave and Joost allows us to extend our reach with fans in North America and across the world,” said CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon, in the release. “We are excited to work with Joost as we continue to build on our commitment in offering fans content on as many platforms as possible and showcasing the excitement of our players and our game.”
The Wildcard Sports Network will feature hard-hitting and compelling video from the CFL each week and will include plays of the week, game highlights and the best action from the previous weekend’s games.
“This represents a major step forward for the CFL and for professional sports worldwide, especially as a strong addition to the Leagues mobile, broadband and other ‘non-traditional’ media offerings” says Tony Dillistone, head of development, North America for Wildwave. “We intend to promote the CFL very aggressively on the new channel and plan to introduce a range of exciting community loyalty-building and interactive features such as game listings, results widgets and fan-generated content over the coming months.”
Joost users can watch the channel in continuous programmed mode or can skip to their favourite programs via the innovative menu system.
Founded by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, who created Skype Joost claims to be the first online, global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment.
