Octapixx Media, the production and studio services provider, has become the official studio and production control room partner for OneSoccer, the Canadian soccer streaming platform.
The partnership will see Octapixx provide production services, including the latest broadcast technology and a full-service live sports broadcast studio in Toronto, for OneSoccer’s coverage of soccer games.
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OneSoccer holds domestic rights to the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the Canadian Championship, friendly matches involving the Canadian men’s and women’s national teams, and regional Concacaf competitions.
Octapixx Media is operated by Protocol Group, a Toronto-based firm that contains media rights agency Protocol Sports Marketing and production firm TV2GO international.
Lowell Conn, president of Protocol Group and Octapixx, said: “Not only are we proud to serve OneSoccer from our brand-new facilities, but we also extend an invitation to the rest of Canada’s sports media to imagine how they can benefit from the latest advances in remote and on-site production that are now available in Canada via Octapixx.
“Now is an exciting time in Canadian soccer, and we are delighted to contribute to its success.”
OneSoccer is run by Timeless Inc, a Canadian company owned by Scott Michell, the chairman of the CPL and Canadian Soccer Business (CSB), the commercial arm of Canada Soccer, after it was sold by Mediapro Canada, the regional subsidiary of the Spanish sports media rights and production agency, last year.
Mitchell said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Octapixx to continue our emphasis on providing a fully Canadian production solution that will deliver even better coverage of our premier soccer properties than ever before.
“By combining the expertise of the Octapixx team with our exceptional OneSoccer editorial capabilities, we will build upon an already strong foundation and ensure that every match and moment reaches fans with the highest production quality.”
Octapixx Media takes over the designation from Mediapro Canada, which remained the TV production and technology support partner for OneSoccer through 2024 as part of a legal settlement with CSB last June.
Mediapro launched One Soccer as a specific home for Canadian soccer coverage after striking a 10-year deal with CSB in 2019. That agreement covered exclusive global rights to the CPL, home games of the Canadian men’s and women’s national teams, and the Canadian Championship.
However, in late January, CSB took back broadcast rights to all of its properties from Mediapro Canada, as the two sides headed to the Ontario Superior Court – over Mediapro “failing to meet significant contractual obligations, including defaulting on the majority of its rights fees due for 2023,” as CSB alleged.
A major sticking point of the dispute had been Mediapro’s inability to get Canada Soccer’s properties on mainstream media outlets other than Canadian telecoms firm Telus, with cable providers so far unwilling to host its OneSoccer platform on their services.
Mediapro, meanwhile, refuted allegations that it was in breach of contract and instead said: “Despite the huge passion Canadians have for soccer, it has become clear that CSB has been and will be unable to fulfill its side of our commercial agreement.”
The settlement saw Mediapro Canada transfer all “OneSoccer online service, intellectual property, and all associated rights” to Timeless, which owns the One Soccer TV channel.
