The SHV is taking the next step into the future with its digital strategy – and with a new partner at its side. Together with RED+ (redplus.sport), the sports streaming media and technology provider of Ringier Sports AG, a new handball platform is being created on which all Swiss professional handball matches can be streamed live or watched as replays.
The association and RED+ have signed a cooperation agreement until the summer of 2029, which will include further components in addition to live streaming. Further details will be announced in due course.
The initial focus will be on the new live streaming platform. From the start of the 2024/25 season, all games in the QHL, NLB and SPL1 – i.e. the clubs that are obliged to stream their games live according to the SHV competition rules – will be streamed on the new platform. Games from the Mobiliar Handball Cup or national productions such as the Yellow Cup, the Airport Trophy and games of the U20 national teams can also be streamed via RED+. Lower league clubs will also have the opportunity to produce their matches with RED camera technology and show them on RED+.
The contract with SRG SSR remains in place. Selected league and cup matches will continue to be broadcast live and exclusively on SRG channels in the coming seasons. In addition, a “game of the week” from the Quickline Handball League will be shown on the Blick.ch and sport.ch channels.
Live streaming of Swiss handball has thus taken the next step. In the summer of 2016, the streaming platform handballtv.ch was professionalized in cooperation with wackerTV. Since then, all clubs in the top men’s and women’s leagues have been showing their matches live, making them more attractive for sponsors and marketing activities. Swiss handball was a pioneer in Swiss sport. In the following years, the innovative digital strategy was further developed in cooperation with Asport, and since the summer of 2021, the Quickline Handball League has been using automated cameras and broadcasting its matches on “handball.asport.tv”.
As a result of the new cooperation with RED+, the OTT platforms “handballtv.ch” and “Asport” portals will no longer be continued. The new live streaming home of Swiss handball will be called RED+ or REDHandball.ch from the 2024/25 season.
Pascal Jenny, President of the SHV: “We are very much looking forward to this extended long-term cooperation with Ringier. We are convinced that we will now be able to take the next step in live streaming, which is urgently needed especially for youth and amateur handball. With RED+ and especially Ringier as a media company with a high affinity for handball, we have found the right partner for this project. With a view to the European Women’s Championship in 2024 and the European Men’s Championship in 2028, we will continue to work with Ringier on innovative projects.
Alexander Grimm, CEO of RED.SPORT Network/Ringier Sports AG: “We are very pleased about the newly concluded cooperation with the SHV, which will allow us to introduce our innovative streaming media technology for handball in Switzerland. The SHV shares our focus on innovation and offers attractive opportunities for fans, clubs and sponsors to experience and promote the game live and up close. With this partnership, we are setting an important milestone in the digital age of handball and creating a win-win situation for all parties involved.
About Ringier Sports
Ringier Sports AG is a subsidiary of the Ringier Group and focuses on the marketing, consulting, digitisation and activation of clubs, associations, leagues and organisations as well as national and international events in the Swiss market. The focus is on public sports such as football and ice hockey as well as sports that have a high number of licensed and/or active players. At the same time, Ringier Sports AG focuses on the exploitation of marketing and media rights to national leagues and the future development as well as marketing and digitisation of event and championship formats with a national character.