English Premier League set to launch direct-to-consumer streaming in Singapore
StarHub holds the Premier League rights in the country from 2022 to 2028
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[SINGAPORE] The English Premier League (EPL) is set to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming service in Singapore, its chief executive Richard Masters reportedly announced at the Financial Times’ Business of Football conference on Feb 26.
He told the audience at the Peninsula Hotel, London, that the Premier League will go direct to consumer with its own streaming offering for the first time, after electing to launch a service in Singapore “in partnership” with StarHub, its existing rights holder.
As reported in British tabloid The Sun, Masters said: “For the first time, we are going direct-to-consumer in Singapore. It’s a very long, considered process, carefully chosen.
“We have a six-year agreement with StarHub, one of the two providers out there. “So from next season onwards, Premier League Plus – rather than Premflix – finally, it’s going to happen.”
StarHub holds the Premier League rights in Singapore from 2022 to 2028, showing all 380 matches per season.
Reporting on the development, The Athletic of The New York Times noted that the move means that the EPL has finally decided to cut out the middleman by launching its own direct-to-consumer streaming channel in Singapore – a move that may signal the end of a decades-old broadcasting model.
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In its report, Masters was quoted as saying: “It will be a new app that you can download on your smart TV or laptop. You’ll be able to watch 380 games a season, with lots of shoulder content and a 24/7 dedicated channel.
“Will it be replicable elsewhere? That’s what we are going to find out.”
In 2020, the Premier League boss first revealed that the league was looking into plans to sell content via a direct streaming platform in a move that could see lower subscription costs for fans. This would eliminate the middleman and allow the league to provide content straight to viewers, rather than via rights sales to TV broadcasters.
The Premier League Plus model could be similar to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) subscription service, which offers annual and monthly plans for fans here to watch matches on the official app. THE STRAITS TIMES
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