bassethound
18-08-11, 17:10
The opening match of the 2011/12 FA Cup is to be streamed live on Facebook this Friday, in the first ever showing of live football on the social networking site.
Broadcasting history will be made when the Extra Preliminary Round clash between Ascot United and Wembley FC on August 19 is shown live at 7.30pm on Facebook.
The 90-minute live stream from Ascot's 1,150-capacity ground will be funded by the FA Cup's new sponsors Budweiser and made available for free on the beer brand's Facebook page.
The match will only be available to people over the legal drinking age of 18 and viewers will need to 'like' Budweiser's Facebook page to access the stream.
Budweiser UK marketing director Iain Newell said: "As a long-standing supporter of football globally, Budweiser is committed to bringing the world's most prestigious knockout competition closer to the fans. What better way to demonstrate this than by broadcasting the very first kick to a global audience via Facebook?
"This is the first time an FA Cup tournament fixture has been broadcast live on the social network, which is great news for football fans and clubs alike."
Ascot United chairman Mike Harrison added: "To be involved in the first game of the FA Cup this season is an honour in itself, but to be part of a world first and have our match broadcast to a massive global audience is fantastic for our club."
In October 2009, the FA streamed live coverage of an England Under-21 game against Macedonia for free on its website. In the same month, digital agency Perform attracted around 500,000 people when it exclusively streamed a competitive England international game online via pay-per-view.
There has never been any live football shown on Facebook, but the UFC ran a broadcast-quality stream of a bantamweight fight on the social network in February.
Broadcasting history will be made when the Extra Preliminary Round clash between Ascot United and Wembley FC on August 19 is shown live at 7.30pm on Facebook.
The 90-minute live stream from Ascot's 1,150-capacity ground will be funded by the FA Cup's new sponsors Budweiser and made available for free on the beer brand's Facebook page.
The match will only be available to people over the legal drinking age of 18 and viewers will need to 'like' Budweiser's Facebook page to access the stream.
Budweiser UK marketing director Iain Newell said: "As a long-standing supporter of football globally, Budweiser is committed to bringing the world's most prestigious knockout competition closer to the fans. What better way to demonstrate this than by broadcasting the very first kick to a global audience via Facebook?
"This is the first time an FA Cup tournament fixture has been broadcast live on the social network, which is great news for football fans and clubs alike."
Ascot United chairman Mike Harrison added: "To be involved in the first game of the FA Cup this season is an honour in itself, but to be part of a world first and have our match broadcast to a massive global audience is fantastic for our club."
In October 2009, the FA streamed live coverage of an England Under-21 game against Macedonia for free on its website. In the same month, digital agency Perform attracted around 500,000 people when it exclusively streamed a competitive England international game online via pay-per-view.
There has never been any live football shown on Facebook, but the UFC ran a broadcast-quality stream of a bantamweight fight on the social network in February.