Optus announced on Thursday its plan of expanding its football coverage in Australia for its Aussie fans. It will partner with SBS to broadcast the 2018 Fifa World Cup and the English Premier League throughout the range of their TV and internet-enabled devices.
Under the agreement, the World Cup will have sub-license rights to the pay-TV provider given by SBS that will enable Optus to broadcast live the 64 games of Men's World Cup including the Fifa 2017 Confederations Cup and the 2019 Fifa Women's World Cup.
With the World Cup sub-license agreement, Optus will be broadcasting 39 exclusive live matches and broadcast the rest through television and radio with SBS reserve simultaneous free-to-air rights to other 25, The Guardian reports.
" I think one of the most important things that we've announced today is that we've now got the FIFA World Cup," Optus chief executive Allen Lew told Fairfax Media.
According to Mashable, it is not understood how much the EPL channel will cost Optus TV subscribers. An Optus spokesperson revealed that the full pricing will be released in the coming months. She added that some of the existing customers plan already includes EPL.
A mini-set top box will be made available for Optus mobile users who don't have Optus broadband to enable them channel streaming through Optus TV with Fetch to their television in a way that is comparable to Chromecast.
Last November, Optus left the market astonished when it won the rights to the EPL and strikes a bargain of paying $63 million a year which is more than the twofold that Fox is presently paying which is $20 million a year.
Last month, Fairfax Media disclosed that Optus will be providing a direct-to-customer offer via website along with an app for smartphones. A 24/7 committed football channel will be available on Optus TV with Fetch and on its upcoming puck device, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.
Australian football fans will be able to watch their favorite game through live streaming from the comfort of their own home or wherever they are by using their smartphones. Non-Optus subscribers will not be able to take advantage of watching the World Cup or the English Premier League. They have to subscribe using the EPL app or in the website.
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