Cavalier, Mount Pleasant kick off streaming partnership

THE LONG wait for live televised Jamaica Premier League (JPL) matches comes to an end today and will kick off with a repeat of the last three finals, Mount Pleasant against Cavalier at Drax Hall at 3:30 pm.

Although it was announced that live broadcasts would have begun last Sunday, the Professional Jamaica Football Limited (PFJL) only recently officially signed off on a multi-year partnership with PPivvott.

According to a PFJL release, as host broadcaster of the 2025-26 JPL season, PPivvott will lead the transformation of how the league is produced and consumed, and have partnered with global streaming leader Kiswe and Jamaica’s Phase 3 Productions to deliver world-class coverage of the JPL.

Matches will be streamed on 1LUVTV powered by Kiswe, a global digital platform for Caribbean sports, culture, and entertainment.

Fans worldwide will enjoy access to more than 150 live matches over the season, supported by interactive fan engagement features, flexible subscription packages and production quality.

CEO of the PFJL, Owen Hill, said games will also be aired on free-to-air and cable television.

“You will be able to watch it on free-to-air and on cable. That is the vision and we are in current talks to secure those (free-to-air) partnership arrangements. As it currently stands. You can watch the games on FLOW (channel 141) and on DigiPlay (channel 17). And you can stream the games anywhere you are in the world on 1LUVTV.com,” he disclosed.

Hill noted that the delay in live broadcast was unavoidable, as the PFJL was still tying up loose ends with the new partner, however, the delay allowed it to kick start live streaming with an enticing fixture, he said.

“The delay was as a result of internal issues. We were ensuring the standard and quality was of the highest level. So instead of shuffling and providing a substandard product, we decide to forgo last week and kick off this week with a bang.

“But it (Cavalier vs Mount Pleasant) was definitely part of the overall consideration. We wanted to make sure we use the opportunity wisely. So that was definitely a major part of the consideration,” he said.

OBJECTIVE

The vision of the PFJL and the objective of their new broadcaster, is to take the product to new levels,” said Hill.

“The vision and expectations are great. The standard has been set and our expectation is to go beyond and above that standard. There will be new innovations added to our broadcast product and fan interaction will be there. So innovation is pretty big on the agenda.”

However, the most important thing for the PFJL CEO is that the clubs will benefit financially from the arrangement.

“A thousand per cent for sure (clubs will benefit). The clubs are at the heart of the partnership. The PFJL operates on behalf of the clubs, so the product is made ultimately by the clubs, for the clubs. So they definitely will be benefiting.

“This is a strategic partnership with ourselves and PPivvott. So our opportunity to earn revenue through media and broadcast rights, is what we are trying to build.

“We want people to subscribe, because we want to bring Jamaica to the world and this is another opportunity to do that.

“But our primary goal is to create commercial value from our broadcast product. And knowing all too well that this is one of the revenue generation opportunities for the league and the clubs.”

ONeil Walters, executive chairman of PPivvott, added that: “The future is here for live sports and entertainment produced in Jamaica and the Caribbean to reach the world. Together with our partners, Kiswe and Phase 3 Productions, we are bringing the best of local and international broadcast expertise to deliver the Jamaica Premier League direct to the consumer worldwide.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com