• by Alex Weprin , January 15, 2019

Endeavor, the parent company of WME, IMG, and UFC, has launched Endeavor Streaming, a new business unit that will roll up the company’s streaming video products and services.

Endeavor Streaming will include Neulion, the over-the-top video provider the company acquired last year for $250 million, as well as internally developed video products.

Most notably, the company says WWE will use Endeavor Streaming to power its OTT service WWE Network. WWE had long been a client of MLB Advanced Media, which Disney acquired last year.

The company already works with UFC, a sister company under the Endeavor umbrella, the NBA and NFL, and media companies such as Univision, Sky Sports, and MSG.

Endeavor Streaming will be led by Will Staeger, who will be president of business operations, as well as Endeavor CTO Nick Wilson.

While the streaming video market is flush with competition, Endeavor Streaming is trying to enter in a more niche product area. Only a handful of companies provide the “backbone” of the streaming video services consumers use. 

MLBAM was one of the first in the space, powering the sports league’s own streaming products, as well as WWE Network, HBO, and other streaming offerings. With the Disney acquisition, the company is focused on building out Disney’s own OTT products.

Endeavor Streaming, similar to MLBAM, emphasizes live video, an area served by even fewer backbone companies. The hope is content companies that need to deliver live video over the internet will use them to secure that end.