All SF Deltas home games to be broadcast live on the social network

With five days until Indy Eleven’s first game of the season, away to league-debutant San Francisco Deltas, many here in Indy have been wondering if the game will be available for viewing on TV and/or streaming. Soc Takes has learned that the game will be broadcast live on Twitter.

“We’re broadcasting all of our home games on Twitter in English, Spanish and Portuguese. We did so for the SacRep (Sacramento Republic) game as a test last Saturday,” Deltas CEO Brian Helmick informed Soc Takes.

“One of our three pillars is innovation. I’ve been told we’re the first pro soccer team in North America to broadcast our home games; not sure if anybody has done the tri-lingual simultaneous broadcast,” Helmick added. “This is an initiative we’re trying here this season.”

“We’re talking to Twitter about both platforms – Twitter Live and Periscope Producer. This came together over the last 2 weeks, so we’re moving very quickly to simultaneously provide fans with our home games in English, Spanish and Portuguese anywhere in the world. The setup process if faster with Periscope, so we’re trying that first,” Helmick told Soc Takes, “As we’ve always told our fans, we’re not afraid to take risks and try new things.”

“Twitter has been a great partner already and we’ve jointly brainstormed some very coold ideas that we’ll try throughout the season that I think fans will love,” Helmick added.

When asked if all of NASL’s games would be broadcast on Twitter, Helmick was quick to set the record straight: “This is only for SFD home games.”

An NASL spokesperson, while not confirming the Twitter story directly, told Soc Takes that the game (Deltas vs. Indy) would be “available for all to see,” adding that the league will be making an announcement within the next 24-48 hours. An Indy Eleven spokesperson suggested they expect a “national broadcast schedule” to be announced during this time frame as well.

If you’re a Brickyard Battalion, Slaughterhouse-19 or Indy East End member, the supporters’ groups expect to meet at Union Jack Pub in Broad Ripple for the game.

Here’s our previous interview with Helmick, where he discussed the status of the team and the league.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

You can follow Soc Takes and Nipun on Twitter @SocTakes and @NipunChopra7.