Nine Entertainment’s streaming service Stan set to scoop EPL rights from Optus
Nine Entertainment’s streaming service Stan is believed to be on the verge of buying the highly prized broadcast rights to the English Premier League, in a deal that could be worth as much as $100m a year.
Nine Entertainment’s streaming service Stan is believed to be on the verge of acquiring the highly prized broadcast rights to the English Premier League, in a deal that could be worth as much as $100m a year.
Current local EPL rights holder Optus Sport is only half-way through a six-year deal to broadcast the prestigious competition from 2023 to 2028, a contract for which the struggling telco company paid $600m.
The development follows months of speculation about the potential transaction, and comes after the telco’s sports streaming service opted not to renew broadcast rights for major football competitions such as La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, in keeping with its revised strategy to prioritise core telecommunications business.
The Australian understands negotiations between Nine and Optus have “progressed significantly” in recent weeks, and that the deal will be finalised very soon.
TV rights to the EPL is the most sought-after broadcast contract in world football, and would be the key sports asset for Stan, which already offers coverage of UEFA Champions, Europa and Conference Leagues.
There has been a suggestion that Optus may have been seeking a joint venture with Nine, which would have seen the Optus Sport app folded into Stan, but this now seems highly unlikely.
It is believed that Nine is instead looking to finalise a deal that will give it exclusive rights to the competition.
On Tuesday night, an Optus spokesman said there had been “no sale”, but would not comment on the nature of ongoing negotiations between the two companies.
A Nine spokesman declined to comment.
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