Nine Entertainment, through its streaming platform Stan, has acquired Optus Sport assets including media rights, subscriber agreements and social media assets.
Stan will pay Optus Sport an upfront fee of $20 million and a contribution towards the first payment for the next Premier League rights cycle.
The assets include media rights agreements for the Premier League and the Emirates FA Cup, both through to the 2027/2028 seasons.
“This marks a step change in Nine’s digital growth strategy,” said Matt Stanton, CEO of Nine.
“The Premier League is the most-watched football league on the planet, and alongside the Emirates FA Cup, this acquisition reinforces Nine’s position as the home of sport in Australia. We are proud to deliver these iconic competitions to Australian audiences through Stan Sport.
"The full power of Nine will be activated to bring new attention and energy to the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup. With more than 20 million Australians engaging with Nine’s platforms every month, we have an unrivalled ability to generate excitement at scale, drive audience growth and deliver meaningful commercial outcomes for our partners."
Stan says more than half of Optus Sport’s subscribers are currently not Stan subscribers. Optus Sport subscribers will continue to have access to Premier League and Emirates FA Cup content through Stan Sport.
Optus telecommunications customers who do not currently subscribe to Stan will generally be entitled to the Optus Sports content at their current monthly subscription rates for the new season.
The additional rights build on Stan Sport’s existing portfolio of premium sports across Rugby, Tennis, Motorsport and Combat Sports.
Amanda Laing, managing director, streaming and broadcast at Nine, said this is the next big leap for Stan "delivering the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup alongside UEFA Champions League, Grand Slam tennis and our deep rugby slate, in one of the most powerful sport offerings in the country.
"It’s a line-up built for the next era of sport reaching Australians across every screen, and now elevating the viewing experience with Premier League available in 4K for the first time in Australia.
"Momentum is building. With the British & Irish Lions Tour, Wimbledon and the Winter Olympics on the horizon, this acquisition adds firepower to an already blockbuster calendar.”
Stephen Rue, CEO of Optus, said a key priority was to find a home for Optus Sport content which would enable all subscribers to continue to receive uninterrupted access to all their favourite football actions.
"Optus Sport customers and the game of football will be in great hands at Stan, and we know the game will receive the broadcasting priority it deserves from an organisation whose speciality is delivering quality sports programming to its customers," Rue said.
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