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Optus Sport hikes price, football now a costly luxury for Aussie fanatics

Optus Sport will begin to charge existing mobile and broadband customers for access to English Premier League for the first time come August, as it has also upped its monthly subscription price.

The move comes after the company secured the broadcast rights to the end of the 2027-28 competition last year, after initially winning it in 2015, indicating a major shift in the sports rights market.

Optus Sport aired the 2020 Euros, and is now upping the price for subscribers

The new subscription price will be $24.99 per month for non-Optus customers from 1 August. Eligible customers will be offered a discounted price of $6.99 per month, to whom the subscription is currently free.

Previously, the monthly price set customers back $14.99 for Optus Sport, with Optus mobile users accessing the service free of charge. The annual price is $199, and with the football market currently fragmented, fans will have to shell out an additional $20 for Stan Sport which airs the Champions League, and $8.99 for Paramount+, which airs the A-League, Matildas and Socceroos games. 

Optus Sport’s current content schedule also includes the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, set to be held in Australia.

The telco provider said: “Recently, we were thrilled to announce we will remain your home of the Premier League for another six years, signaling an exciting new era where we plan to provide even more value for our customers with our world-class coverage.

“We also can’t wait to bring you the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup being hosted in Australia and New Zealand next year as we maintain our commitment to adding even more premium sports content and innovation as we invest further over the coming years.

It said in order to continue to provide the service, it has needed to make the changes. It has positioned the new charge for eligible Optus customers as a “70% saving”, despite the fact that they previously were charged nothing.

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