BT Sport to broadcast Rio Ferdinand testimonial

BT Sport will show Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand’s testimonial match live on its new sports channels. The match will be viewable online to millions of fans worldwide, following an agreement with Ferdinand and Streamworks International.

The showpiece game between Manchester United and Sevilla at Old Trafford on August 9 could be one of the most-watched testimonials ever, courtesy of Streamworks’ global streaming operation, which will make the live action available at www.riotestimonial.com in as many as 170 countries.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, says: “We are delighted to be associated with a huge star like Rio in all the different ways he is featuring on BT Sport and we are thrilled that his testimonial is going to be live on BT Sport. To mark this special occasion, we’ve put together a groundbreaking plan to help make this game available to millions of fans across the globe, and it is something of a technology first for a game to be streamed live on this scale.”

Rio Ferdinand adds: “Manchester United is a unique club with fans in every corner of the globe so I am delighted that my testimonial is going to be so widely available to all of the club’s supporters in so many countries. It is going to be a fantastic and fun evening and there will be famous sporting faces and celebrities popping up all over the place, so it should be an incredible night.”