Reece Land, the managing director of Next Gen Sports Solutions, wants to overhaul the women’s football media coverage in the United Kingdom and take exclusive broadcasting rights of the Barclays Women’s Super League, Women’s Championship and Women’s National Leagues by 2025.
Reece Land Wants to Overhaul Women’s Media Coverage
Women’s Football Streaming Service
Land recently announced the launch of a new Next Gen Media Productions company and has his long-term sights set on establishing a streaming service similar to the style of Netflix and Amazon Prime that is dedicated to women’s football.
In a virtual press conference organised by Next Gen Sports Solutions earlier this week, he said: “Women’s football needs a platform that’s specific and unique to them. If you look at the BBC and their production of the England v Northern Ireland match, I’d have to say it was disappointing in terms of the camera angle, the sound and the commentary wasn’t the best either.
“So, if we’re coming in with a strategy of a platform that is dedicated and unique to women’s football, why wouldn’t the FA consider it? I’m aware that it’s ambitious, but we’re coming in with big plans, and hopefully they can see what we’re doing and that we’ve got a strategy to turn it into a sustainable business model.
“A lot of people will question the exclusivity element of it, but we’re talking about something that could happen in four years time.
“If we’re in a position that I would expect us to be in, then I don’t want to share anything with the BBC and compromise by putting the England women’s national team on the red button.
“I’d rather they give us full exclusivity and hopefully we’ll be able to reach that stage in four years time.”
Reece Land Addresses the Scepticism to His Plans
Land understands why there would be some scepticism to his bold plans. However, he says would urge anyone to look back at his company’s recent track record before making such judgements.
“We’re looking at it as a long-term vision,” he said. “We understand that we’re not going to make money from it in the first 12 months.
“I started Next Gen Sports Solutions four years ago with hardly any women’s footballers being paid, but I saw the long-term vision of what could happen.
“We’ve got a fantastic media team internally at Next Gen Sports, and after we’ve done our Amazon-style documentary following a full-time club next season, we can then go into a meeting with whoever does the broadcasting rights and say, ‘look what we’ve done, let us have the Super League, Championship and National League rights.
“I hope we’ll be in a position to offer exclusivity; I’m aware it’s an ambitious claim, but I believe in what we’re doing.”
