Google Partners with Local Media Outlets to Launch a Sports News Hub

Google is partnering with an alliance of local-media companies, the Local Media Consortium, to launch “The Matchup,“ a new online sports news effort that aims to give fans of specific teams more news about them from a wider range of outlets than just those covering it locally.

In its initial iteration, The Matchup will allow you to read content from the publication covering the organization your hometown team is either about to face or recently played without paying an additional subscription. So say you live in Denver and follow the Avalanche, the next time they play the Stars, you’ll be able to read articles from The Dallas Morning News. The Local Media Consortium says it used Google’s fast-loading AMP web tech, and a framework developed by the Distributed Media Lab, to build that functionality.

At a later date, the project will expand to include a dedicated sports news hub. The website will feature a dashboard where you’ll be able to set the specific teams, leagues and players you want to follow. You’ll be able to access all of the content on The Matchup as long as you have a subscription with one of the local publications that’s taking part in the project. According to the Local Media Consortium, all subscription revenue will go back to the local companies providing content for The Matchup, and any money the hub makes off of sponsorships will be shared between them as well.