Joe Hand Promotions (JHP), one of the largest distributors of live sports to commercial establishments in the country, has announced the launch of an app that will allow venues to stream the company’s extensive live sports portfolio.
JHP currently distributes live, streaming-exclusive sporting events for bars, restaurants, and other commercial establishments to air for their customers. The company’s portfolio currently includes UFC, ESPN+ for Business (which includes the same exclusive content residential users receive with a subscription), pay-per-view boxing events, and AEW.
Prior to today’s announcement, JHP only serviced commercial establishments via traditional infrastructure like cable and satellite, which are still used by the vast majority of bars and restaurants across the country. With the launch of its new app, JHP hopes to capture establishments that, similar to regular consumers, are transitioning to streaming at increased rates.
“This launch represents a major milestone in our mission to give commercial operators the flexibility and reliability they need to host unforgettable sports viewing experiences,” Joe Hand Jr., President of Joe Hand Promotions, said in a press release.
From a streaming perspective, JHP’s new app puts them on a level playing field with competitor EverPass, which has been at the forefront of connecting commercial venues to live sports via streaming.
The reality is, streaming makes up a small portion of the overall market for commercial distribution. Most venues still rely on more established infrastructure like cable and satellite, both because they already have the technology necessary for it, but also because cable and satellite more reliably deliver live broadcasts without any latency issues.
Still, the streaming portion of the business is growing, and companies like JHP and EverPass will be fighting for market share as more venues decide to make the switch.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.