Optus snatches English Premier League rights from Fox Sports in Australia

[Timbo]

Lol NRL will sell to whoever is willing to pay the most money.

They won't sell it to a provider who literally cannot televise the games as advertised. Or the federal government would be forced to intervene, as it has with the World Cup.

 

[Pommy]

They won't sell it to a provider who literally cannot televise the games as advertised. Or the federal government would be forced to intervene, as it has with the World Cup.

You give the NRL too much credit.

Also these issues are not impossible iron out, it has been a bad PR exercise for Optus but don't think this is the end of online streaming as its only the beginning.

 

[Timbo]

You give the NRL too much credit.

Also these issues are not impossible iron out, it has been a bad PR exercise for Optus but don't think this is the end of online streaming as its only the beginning.

I agree completely, and I am absolutely on board - if I could pay $15 a month for NRL streaming that I could cast to my TV, I'd ditch Foxtel tomorrow.

And I'm not giving the NRL credit at all. I know they always take the quick buck ahead of the good of the game. But if they hand it to a streaming service like Optus before the kinks are ironed out, the government will step in as they'll be charging for a service they can't provide. Just like they have here.

 

[Front-Rower]

Lol NRL will sell to whoever is willing to pay the most money.

NRL outsource their non-core competency to Fox I.e. broadcasting and delivery. If optarse got NRL rights they would charge like a wounded bull as well as they would have to acquire equipment, staff or sub contract etc

At the moment the EPL is just a rebroadcast in a secondary market of an already packaged product.

 

[Pommy]

SBS are going to continue broadcasting games until the end of the tournament.

 

[Danish]

I agree completely, and I am absolutely on board - if I could pay $15 a month for NRL streaming that I could cast to my TV, I'd ditch Foxtel tomorrow.

And I'm not giving the NRL credit at all. I know they always take the quick buck ahead of the good of the game. But if they hand it to a streaming service like Optus before the kinks are ironed out, the government will step in as they'll be charging for a service they can't provide. Just like they have here.

The problem there though is no streaming provider will likely be able to make an offer good enough to the NRL to get exclusive rights over Foxtel. Not charging $15 per month, anyway.

If you assume like 1 million subscribers, that’s only $180 million per year in revenue. That doesn’t even cover the cost of buying the rights, let alone producing the content, hosting it, and turning a profit.

$20-30 per month would be more likely IMO

 

[Pommy]

The problem there though is no streaming provider will likely be able to make an offer good enough to the NRL to get exclusive rights over Foxtel. Not charging $15 per month, anyway.

If you assume like 1 million subscribers, that’s only $180 million per year in revenue. That doesn’t even cover the cost of buying the rights, let alone producing the content, hosting it, and turning a profit.

$20-30 per month would be more likely IMO

$180m a year from subscribers but how much are 9 and Fox making from adverts?

 

[Mong]

The amount of advertising on fox channels these days is out of control for a subscription tv service. With free Optus football channel and a free nrl pass (even with its limitations) there is no chance I’m paying for foxtel.

 

[Danish]

$180m a year from subscribers but how much are 9 and Fox making from adverts?

Much less options for ads with a streaming service though, although it would be a revenue raiser for sure.

Either way, I’d expect any streaming provider that tried to get the rights away from pay tv to wind up having to invest enough money that $25-30+ per month would be the norm, with likely some sort of annual package for $200 or thereabouts to make it feasible.

That’s still a hell of a lot less than Poms have to pay for the EPL, or Americans for any of their sports

 

[thorson1987]

Well f**k.

 

[ggmu]

It’s gonna be at the point soon that if you want to watch any football you better have Optus sports.

 

[Mong]

It’s gonna be at the point soon that if you want to watch any football you better have Optus sports.

Fine by me

Having three bein sports channels and the Optus sports package is awesome for a football fan!!

 

[ggmu]

I’m ok with it now. But the internet at my old place wasn’t so great with the streaming.

Bein app is good to. Catch up on any game that was on. I think for a week or so they leave them up.

 

[hellteam]

Champions League on Optus is great - no need for Foxtel over summer now.

One thing i hope Optus keep that they had in the World Cup are the mini matches.

20 min of highlights. Would be perfect waking up on a Sunday morning and watching all of them.