NEW YORK & RIYADH, Saudi Arabia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 3, 2026--
L1VE and the Saudi Pro League (SPL) have announced a three-season partnership granting L1VE exclusive worldwide immersive live media rights to one featured Roshn Saudi League (RSL) match per matchweek across the 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29 seasons.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261103394387/en/
From February 2027, through L1VE's Social Presence technology, fans will be able to step inside the stadium in stereoscopic 360-degree 3D, take their virtual seats, and experience live RSL football alongside friends and fellow supporters, wherever they are in the world.
The agreement represents a significant milestone for L1VE since it develops immersive live sports rights as a new category of media distribution alongside traditional broadcasting and streaming. It also provides the SPL with an additional way to engage its growing international audience, extending the matchday experience beyond the physical stadium.
With a global broadcast network spanning more than 180 territories, the RSL continues to expand its international reach, driven by the presence of leading football stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Ivan Toney, Gabriel Martinelli, Sadio Mané, João Félix, Tijjani Reijnders and Kingsley Coman.
David Morgenbesser, Chief Commercial Officer at L1VE, said: "People don't just want to watch together; they want to be there together. This embodies Social Presence. To launch a product this innovative together with one of the most important leagues in the world is a defining moment for our company. It shows once again the innovative strength of the Saudi Pro League and of Saudi Arabia. For the first time, an entire league season can be experienced immersively, matchday after matchday, from anywhere, with anybody."
The partnership demonstrates how immersive media can extend the reach and commercial potential of live sports rights in one of the world’s fastest-growing leagues. L1VE's platform transforms live football into a shared experience, allowing supporters to feel part of the stadium atmosphere without the need to travel or secure a match ticket.
Fans will be able to watch featured RSL matches live in stereoscopic 360-degree 3D through L1VE's direct-to-fan platform, with an on-demand viewing window to return to the match after the final whistle. A shared social layer will enable supporters to experience the action together in real time, even when physically apart.
With 82% of the RSL's non-live YouTube audience based outside Saudi Arabia, the partnership also reflects the growing international demand for the league's content. L1VE's immersive offering creates another opportunity to reach these supporters, complementing the SPL's existing broadcast, streaming, and digital distribution partnerships.
Availability
Immersive coverage is scheduled to begin in February 2027, coinciding with the second half of the 2026-27 RSL season. The first featured match will be announced closer to the launch.
Fans will be able to access the experience through the L1VE app on supported immersive headsets, including Meta Quest, Apple Vision Pro, and Pico devices, subject to device and platform compatibility.
Tickets will be available through the L1VE app and at l1ve.com, with the on-sale date to be confirmed. Further featured matches will be announced ahead of each matchweek.
About L1VE
L1VE is an immersive media company transforming how fans experience live sports and entertainment. Through Social Presence, L1VE enables audiences to experience live events together in immersive environments, from anywhere in the world, combining proprietary capture, image processing, and delivery technology with a direct-to-fan platform.
The company is pioneering immersive live rights as a new licensable category of media rights alongside traditional broadcasting and streaming. L1VE is headquartered in New York, with research and development teams in Germany.
About the Saudi Pro League
The Saudi Pro League (SPL) is the governing body of Saudi Arabia's top-tier football division and the highest-ranked league in Asia, as recognized by the AFC. The SPL aims to create experiences that go beyond the 90 minutes of play, transforming every game week into a memorable event. Through its mission, the SPL focuses on developing the sport, nurturing talent, and blending competition, community, and culture to tell a story that resonates with fans worldwide.
In early 2023, the SPL launched a transformation strategy aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, aiming to position the league among the world's best. The strategy focuses on nurturing young talent, attracting top international players, improving club governance, and driving competitiveness both on and off the pitch. With a commitment to innovation and excellence, the SPL is shaping a football legacy that extends far beyond the game itself, contributing to the growth of the sport and the nation.
Be There. Now.
L1VE Secures Exclusive Worldwide Immersive Media Rights to the Saudi Pro League
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar has dropped its case against a former American Chamber of Commerce board member and canceled an Interpol “red notice” for his arrest, saying that its investigation concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to support his extradition.
Misfit Technologies CEO Munimul Islam was detained upon his arrival at the international airport in Barcelona, Spain, in late September at the request of Myanmar officials investigating a complaint by the AmCham Myanmar. Islam was beginning a vacation with his wife and children at the time.
Spanish judicial authorities said in a document dated Oct. 26 that they had dropped all legal proceedings against Islam, who had been freed on bail earlier in October, after being informed of Myanmar's decision.
“This case exposes serious weaknesses in Interpol's safeguards, allowing a military regime to trigger detention in a European democracy over unsubstantiated allegations,” Islam, a Bangladesh national, told The Associated Press on Monday.
Paris-based Interpol told the AP that only Myanmar authorities could provide information on the case. Acting Police Brig. Gen. Soe Lin Aung, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s Home Affairs Ministry, which oversees the country’s police forces, wouldn't comment on specifics, saying only that “all the cases have been concluded” before hanging up.
The case began as an internal AmCham Myanmar dispute, with the current board accusing Islam, former board president Adam Castillo, an American, and former executive director Ye Khaung “Danny” Kyaw, an Australian, of financial impropriety for the hiring of an American public relations firm to assist in lobbying efforts in Washington.
It garnered international attention after authorities began investigating it as a criminal case and arrested Castillo and Ye Khaung Kyaw, and issued the “red notice” for Islam, who lives in the United Kingdom.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration then stepped in and sent a delegation to Myanmar to secure Castillo's release and return to the United States in September, and Ye Khaung Kyaw was deported after pleading guilty to breach of trust, which he said was done under pressure from authorities.
Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war, is headed by President Min Aung Hlaing, who led the group of military officers that seized control from the democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in 2021.
The country is widely sanctioned, and Min Aung Hlaing has been on a charm offensive recently to try and win more international support for his government. When Castillo was released, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said that the government's “primary goal” was friendly bilateral relations with the U.S.
The president's spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for comment on the decision not to pursue the case against Islam.
The original AmCham complaint centered on Castillo’s creation of the U.S.-Burma Economic Forum as a lobbying organization for the chamber he served as president from 2023 to 2025, and the 2024 contract Castillo signed with Mercury Public Affairs.
AmCham Myanmar maintains that Castillo “illegally collected” $300,000 and used the association’s name to enlist Mercury to assist in lobbying efforts without approval from the current board.
Myat Phyu The, the executive director of AmCham Myanmar, didn't respond to a request for comment on Islam's case, but previously said that the concern was that transaction could bring “potential legal, financial and criminal exposure” to the organization and current board.
A signed board resolution provided by Castillo’s supporters indicated that the board had approved the lobbying initiative, but AmCham Myanmar maintains that the document is a fake.
The AmCham also maintained it had received no services, but the AP confirmed that Mercury did organize and attend multiple meetings in Washington with Castillo and others. Mercury also declared all payments to American authorities as required under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, with reports available online to the public.
The $300,000 came entirely from Islam's company and was paid in installments. He questioned how the payments could have exposed the current AmCham to legal issues in Myanmar, which has strict foreign currency restrictions, noting he hadn't been a Myanmar resident since 2022 and that the funds were paid by his company's U.S. operation.
His contention appears supported in the official finding by Myanmar authorities, who wrote to their Spanish counterparts that they had concluded Islam “merely carried out corporate invoicing and disbursement directives while based abroad.”
Islam, 40, said that while he is relieved that the case is over, he is “certainly not satisfied” with the outcome and was exploring what legal action he could take against AmCham and the current board members involved.
“I spent 14 days detained, separated from my two infant daughters, causing enormous emotional, financial and reputational harm,” he said. “My freedom has been restored but the damage remains — I want accountability and safeguards so no other innocent family endures this.”
FILE - Pedestrians walk past entrance of Junction City Tower, where the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar has its office, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo, File)
