Facebook Is Exclusive Home for World Surf League's Live Streams Under new two-year deal, WSL retains broadcast, on-demand rights By Troy Dreier, Contributor, Streaming & Digital
Monday, February 12, 2018 - 9:53 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Fans of the world's biggest surfing events will be stopping by Facebook to stream all the live coverage they want. On Jan. 24, the World Surf League (WSL) announced a deal with Facebook that makes the social network its exclusive live-streaming home for the next two years. The league's season starts in March with the Championship Tour, and, shortly after that, all its events will stream live on its Facebook page.
Although neither side is discussing the financial terms of the deal, it looks to be a solid win for both. The WSL gets an easy live-streaming outlet, while retaining broadcast rights and the right to host on-demand videos on its own platform. Facebook gains a young and affluent global audience (only 20%-25% of the WSL's viewers are in the U.S.). Plus, viewers tend to watch for a long time: the average WSL event comprises four competition days streaming eight hours per day, and fans watch for several hours per session.
The WSL and Facebook have worked together before but never in an exclusive arrangement. Last year, Facebook simulcast all of the league's Championship Tour and Big Wave Tour events. Nearly 14 million people from around the globe viewed those streams, convincing the WSL that this was a solid way to go.
Stephanie Gilmore of Australia surfing at the Future Classic in Lemoore, CA
We've got a long history with Facebook, says Joe Carr, chief strategy officer/head of international, WSL. The reason we were able to get a deal like this done is that not only do we work together but they've seen the success we've had from an engagement perspective and seen our core audience grow over the years. I think they like that we've always been open to testing new products. We're always one of the first groups alpha and beta testing. We're always more mature than a traditional sports league that's fairly restrictive with their rights and their packages. We've been open to innovating and trying new things.
Facebook wasn't the only suitor trying for the WSL's audience, but it pitched the most attractive offer. The WSL considered creating its own paid platform but liked that there won't be a barrier to entry with Facebook. Reactions throughout the surfing community - from fans, surfers, and corporate partners - have been strongly positive, Carr says. Although some aren't thrilled at needing a Facebook logon, he points out, it's a smaller hassle than a monthly pay-TV or OTT subscription.
The WSL will keep live-streaming events on its own, a complex operation using a dozen or more cameras. The setup might include eight action cameras, with one in the water, a drone overheard, and one just for slo-mo footage. It also includes three on-set cameras, one roving camera, and between three and five point-of-view cameras capturing establishing shots, locker rooms, and local color.
JEEP Rankings Leader and current World Champion John John Florence of Hawaii after winning Heat 2 of Round Four at the Quik Pro Gold Coast, Australia
The league captures and produces the events, then distributes 1920 1080 HD streams. It retains a copy to post on its on-demand platform when the event is finished.
The WSL and Facebook are aware that much of their viewing comes from mobile viewers, so the Facebook mobile app will show vertical videos of the live events. The WSL is deciding now what kinds of on-screen callouts and interactive features to include with the Facebook stream to make the event more engaging. Besides getting die-hard viewers, the Facebook stream is expected to attract plenty of newcomers, and the WSL wants to make sure they're able to follow the competitions.
Fans will see different streams depending on where they're located. The WSL will create geo-targeted streams featuring different branded and targeted elements within each, so it will actually deliver multiple live feeds to Facebook. The WSL is also creating multiple audio tracks per event, so viewers can switch among English, Spanish, and Portuguese (the league has a lot of fans in Brazil). The WSL will monetize events with branded content and onsite sponsorships. It can't run commercials in a Facebook live stream but will mix in organic brand-supported content.
Says Carr, We're looking forward to spending the next two years as one of the leading and most innovative technology firms in the world and leveraging Facebook's platform of over 2 billion users to grow the WSL fan base and the sport of surfing as a whole and, hopefully, take the sport to the next level.
Most recent headlines
18/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
18/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
18/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
18/12/2025
Long-term agreement includes the SES SCORE platform and hybrid distribution worldwide to deliver more than 5,000 hours of golf tournaments annually featuring th...
17/12/2025
Investigative journalists across the Western Balkans and T rkiye continue to con...
17/12/2025
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inducts 10 Industry Icons During Unforgettable ...
17/12/2025
ESPN to Debut MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats, a New AI-Driven NFL Data-AltCastThe series, powered by Adrenaline TruPlay AI, launches Dec. 22 and runs through ...
17/12/2025
Inaugural Optum Golf Channel Games Debut Under the Lights' in Primetime on ...
17/12/2025
The right playlist is essential on New Year's Eve, building the energy as you get ready and keeping it high as you count down to midnight. This year, Spotif...
17/12/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
17/12/2025
Audiences Watched Over 103 Billion Minutes of TV on Thanksgiving Day
NFL Games ...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Stars Visit Berklee for Weeklong Celebration Andrew Choi and EJAE, who voiced the film's main characters and contributed to its soundtr...
17/12/2025
December 17 2025, 17:00 (PST) Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With ...
17/12/2025
Wednesday 17 December 2025
Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 JanuaryTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy opti...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Inside The Unseen World Of Indian Customs: Netflix Reveals The...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix announces PAPARAZZI KING: the docu series coming to Ne...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First Look at Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole Pr...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Welcomes Warner Bros. Discovery Board Recommendation
Business
17 December 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboard
After Careful Revi...
17/12/2025
RT has announced that Kathy Fox has been appointed Commissioning Editor with re...
17/12/2025
The Hao AI Lab research team at the University of California San Diego - at the forefront of pioneering AI model innovation - recently received an NVIDIA DGX B...
17/12/2025
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
17/12/2025
With the new season of Dancing with the Stars shimmering in the not-too-distant future this New Year, the celebrity and dancer pairings of the twelve couples ha...
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...
16/12/2025
2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...
16/12/2025
Three 12-kilowatt Advanced Electric Propulsion System thrusters, supplied by L3Harris Technologies, form the core of Gateway's propulsion system. Pictured i...
16/12/2025
The challenge facing America's defense industrial base is not just about speed - its about rebuilding the foundation that makes speed possible. Our nations ...
16/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
16/12/2025
SEVILLE, Spain Canal Sur, the public broadcasting service for Andalusia, Spain, has completed a total technology refresh based on Pebble's resilient, softwa...
16/12/2025
NEW YORK Teleprompting hardware provider Telescript International has acquired all software code and intellectual property previously owned by Telescript West. ...
16/12/2025
As cable operators face increased competition from 5G fixed wireless access providers, a new report from Ookla Research finds that T-Mobile is the FWA speed lea...
16/12/2025
Apple has announced a major upgrade to the Apple TV app for device owners outside the Apple ecosystem with news that the Apple TV app for Android now supports G...
16/12/2025
Space42 grows Direct-to-Device partner ecosystem through a Memorandum of Underst...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
16/12/2025
Back to All News
Emma Appleton, Fares Fares, Frida Gustavsson and Jakob Oftebro...
16/12/2025
Back to All News
Docu-reality My Korean Boyfriend Gets a Trailer and Premiere D...
16/12/2025
Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor Improves Streaming Video Quality and Boosts Viewer Engagement SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 16, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...
Facebook Is Exclusive Home for World Surf League's Live Streams Under new two-year deal, WSL retains broadcast, on-demand rights By Troy Dreier, Contributor, Streaming & Digital 
