Latest news with #UAESeries
Arab News
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
‘Couldn't have scripted it better' — Baseball United chief's pride after record UAE Series attendance and viewing
DUBAI: A record three million viewers watched the three-game UAE Series between the Arabia Wolves and the Mid East Falcons last weekend, Baseball United has announced. The series was carried by 17 linear and digital broadcast partners and drew viewers from more than 100 countries including the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, France, the UK, Italy, Australia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Saudi Arabia, making it the most-watched baseball event in the history of the region. The series marked the first time the Wolves and the Falcons — the league's two UAE-based franchises — took the field. The Dubai-based Wolves won all three games, including a close 5-4 victory in Sunday's finale. The series was hosted at Baseball United's new ballpark at The Sevens sports and entertainment complex in Dubai and was a complete sellout. The modular seating currently accommodates 3,000 fans, with plans to scale up to 10,000 for future events. 'We are truly grateful to reach another set of milestones on our journey toward building the region's next great sport,' said Kash Shaikh, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian subcontinent. 'This past weekend, we put two of our franchises on the field for the first time. We had several of the world's best baseball players playing for the first time at our new ballpark. We sold out each night. We reached millions of new fans on social media. And we had a record number of broadcast partners and viewers. And, of course, we had three great games of high-quality baseball. We couldn't have scripted it any better. I'm very thankful to all of our partners, and very proud of our Baseball United team.' The Arabia Wolves won the opening game 6-5, with left-fielder Courtney Hawkins hitting a solo home run to provide the difference. Brian Schlitter, who previously played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics, and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Saitama Seibu Lions, got the win. On Saturday night, the Wolves ran away with an 11-0 victory behind a dominant pitching performance from starter Cameron Gann. Gann pitched five innings and struck out nine for the win. Wolves prospect Ernest Ohandza, the first professional baseball player in the history of Cameroon, struck out the final batter to end the night. Sunday night was another close affair, with the Falcons mounting a late rally to turn a four-run deficit into a one-run game. Local prospect Lorenzo Riddle got the win for the hometown Wolves, with Connor Panas and Didi Gregorius both going deep for the red and black. Panas was originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015, and Gregorius spent 11 years in MLB, including five as the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees. The teams were managed by game veterans John McLaren (Wolves) and Dennis Cook (Falcons), while future baseball hall of famer Albert Pujols was part of the pregame ceremonies and served as the broadcast analyst for all three games. Baseball United built its new ballpark in just 38 days last year. Since then it has hosted the largest international amateur baseball tournament in the history of the region, the Arab Classic, along with this past weekend's inaugural professional games. The league will be on hiatus during Ramadan and the summer months, returning to action in October.
Arabian Business
14-02-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
Baseball United ties-up with MBC, StarzPlay for broadcast of UAE series
Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, announced that its UAE Series event will be broadcast through 17 official broadcast partners across six continents. MBC and Starzplay's sports channel will be among a slew of streaming services which will be driving coverage of Baseball United's UAE series. The worldwide footprint of coverage will reach more than 170 countries, and include more than one dozen linear and OTT platforms across the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin and South America, Europe, Japan, Canada, and the United States, Baseball United said. MBC's group's Saudi Sports and Dubai Media's local sports network will be among the broadcasting networks which will broadcast the baseball series, digital broadcasters will be headlined by DAZN, the world's leading sports entertainment platform, it said. DAZN reaches over 200 markets worldwide, which will ensure that the UAE Series is accessible to fans across the globe, it added. 'We continue to be blown away by broadcasters' appetite for international baseball,' said Chairman, CEO and Majority Owner Kash Shaikh. 'Baseball United is already the most well-known internationally-based professional baseball league in the world, and with the continued support of our broadcast partners, we know that awareness and engagement in both the sport and our league will continue to grow,' he said. Baseball United expands global reach Baseball United said Major League Baseball will also carry the three-game series on its flagship property, while A Sports, Pakistan's first HD sports channel, will broadcast the games on their linear channel, with additional coverage on their free digital platform, and Tokyo Broadcasting System's TV Sports will cover the games in Japan. Other linear broadcasters include Africa XP and Startimes in Sub-Saharan Africa, Sportsmax in the Caribbean, and beIN Sports in the US and Canada. Baseball United will also stream the games free of charge on in collaboration with Signature Productions, it said.
Khaleej Times
13-02-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Baseball United UAE Series broadcast will stretch across six continents
Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, announced that its UAE Series event will be broadcast through 17 official broadcast partners across six continents. The worldwide footprint of coverage will reach more than 170 countries, and include more than one dozen linear and OTT platforms across the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin and South America, Europe, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Linear platforms are headlined by MBC, the largest media company in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The MBC GROUP operates over 20 free-to-air TV channels and radio stations across the region, including Saudi Arabia's leading sports channel, Saudi Sports Company (SSC). Baseball United's UAE Series will be aired on SSC3 in Saudi Arabia. Dubai Media, Dubai's local sports network, will broadcast the historic games on Dubai Sports Channel. This will be the first time in history baseball is broadcast by Dubai Sports. Digital broadcasters are headlined by DAZN, the world's leading sports entertainment platform. DAZN reaches over 200 markets worldwide, which will ensure that the UAE series is accessible to fans across the globe. Starzplay, another leading streaming service in Mena, will drive coverage in Baseball United's home region via Starzplay Sports. The games will also be available through STARZ ON, Starzplay's pay-per-view and on-demand sports platform. 'We continue to be blown away by broadcasters' appetite for international baseball,' said Kash Shaikh, Baseball United Chairman, CEO, and Majority Owner. 'Baseball United is already the most well-known internationally-based professional baseball league in the world, and with the continued support of our broadcast partners, we know that awareness and engagement in both the sport and our league will continue to grow.' Major League Baseball will also carry the three-game series on its flagship property, Baseball United's ownership group includes 20 current and former MLB stars, including Hall of Famers Barry Larkin, Mariano Rivera, and Adrian Beltre. Future Hall of Famer and Baseball United Co-owner, Albert Pujols, will serve as the color commentator on the broadcast. Baseball United's inaugural Showcase event in Dubai was broadcast in 127 countries, reaching 200 million households.
