Three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka will stream all of his matches at the Marseille Open live on Facebook in partnership with TGV Lyria.
The deal means that fans in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg will be able to watch those matches free online. It is the first time that Wawrinka has been involved in such an agreement. The masterminds behind the deal are a French high-speed railway company called TGV, who specialises in connecting journeys between France and Switzerland.
“I am thrilled about this amazing opportunity to have my matches streamed on my Facebook channel. When I heard there is a chance for my Facebook fans to watch my matches from the Open 13 Provence, I knew this would make this great tournament even more special for me.” Wawrinka said in a statement.
“My fans are always supporting me on social media and I’m happy that we can provide this experience to them. I’m sure it will be fun. A big thanks to my trustworthy partner TGV Lyria for making this happen. I enjoy engaging my fans as much as possible in what I enjoy the most, and that is competing against the world’s best.”
It is not the first time a player has used their own social media channel to stream their matches. Earlier this year David Goffin teamed up with Lagardère Sports and Entertainment agency to broadcast his matches during the Marseille Open. Speaking about the latest initiative, the executive vice president of Lagardère Sports has publicly backed the move.
“The digital disruption is moving forward and we believe in athletes and their platforms as an important part within the media landscape.” Said Nikolaus von Doetinchem.
“Following the project with David Goffin, we are proud to cooperate with such a world-class athlete and multiple Grand Slam winner like Stan Wawrinka showcasing that we are taking the right path into the next generation of sports broadcasting and we are looking forward to an exciting tournament in Marseille.” He added.
On Facebook, Wawrinka has more than 753,000 likes and 744,000 followers. In 2017 Google Switzerland named the 32-year-old the third most-searched personality in his country. Compatriot Roger Federer came first.
Wawrinka is the top seed at the Open 13 following the withdrawal of Goffin due to an eye injury. Granted a bye in the first round, he will get his campaign underway against either Laslo Djere or a yet to be confirmed qualifier. He will be bidding to win his first title since the Geneva Open last May.
