Heineken has launched a new digital platform that will provide real-time updates to subscribers in Brazil during live Uefa Champions League matches streamed by Facebook.

The free service, branded Heineken TV, goes live on April 13th as part of the Dutch beer company’s long-term partnership with the competition.

The brainchild of marketing agency Publicis, the platform has been created as part of a unique collaboration with media agency Interactive Sports, who agreed a three-year rights deal last year with Facebook to show Champions League’s matches on the social media network for the first time in Brazil. The two companies have now developed an interactive bot via the social network’s Facebook Messenger service that will feature insights from journalist Mauro Beting and retired Brazilian footballer Zé Roberto.

Vanessa Brandão, Heineken Group’s premium brand director in Brazil, said: “This is an important moment for Heineken as we have celebrated 14 years of partnership with the Uefa Champions League, one of the most watched sporting events in the world, with approximately 350 million viewers. But for the first time it is not on open TV, so to help consumers who are struggling to watch the games, we have created a real-time content hub that will help them not miss any Champions League moves.”

The Heineken TV platform is designed to provide real-time information before, during and after live Champions League matches. Available via Facebook, it will also send an alert to users inviting them to watch live matches on the social network.

Domenica Massareto, the chief commercial officer at Publicis, added: “Through this action, Heineken once again shows that it is on the side of football fans and that it is even capable of creating an unofficial broadcast, full of technological resources, to help them follow […] the Uefa Champions League.”

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