Singtel gets EPL broadcast rights until May 2022
No price hike for next season: Singtel
Singtel has won the broadcast rights to screen the English Premier League in Singapore for the next three seasons from August 2019 to May 2022.
The latest rights deal will make Singtel TV the official broadcaster of the EPL in Singapore for 12 consecutive years.
And the good news is there will be no price hike for at least the next season, said a Singtel spokesman.
"We are pleased to continue offering fans front-row seats to all the action from the English top-flight clubs. Fans can be assured Premier League coverage remains affordable as we will keep prices unchanged," said Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, Singtel's chief executive officer for Consumer Singapore.
With the announcement, Singtel has avoided the last-minute wrangling surrounding the Champions League rights that was resolved only after the group stage kicked off.
The securing of the EPL broadcast rights for the ongoing cycle (August 2016 to May 2019) was also announced similarly in November 2015.
As with the last cycle, Singtel declined to reveal how much it paid for the new deal.
Mr James Walton, Deloitte Singapore and South-east Asia sports business group leader, told The Straits Times: "For football fans, this is good news - none of the uncertainty we experienced recently in rights negotiations that left fans wondering if they would get to watch the games.
"There is also a commitment not to increase the price and more options in terms of viewing to counter some of the online piracy threats."
EPL fans will be able to watch 380 live Premier League matches each season on Singtel Cast.
The video app enables fans with a valid credit or debit card to catch the action live at $49.90 per month.
Singtel's Sports Plus pack on Cast also brings Premier League coverage to mobile devices and compatible smart TV sets without the need for a set-top box.
EPL fans may also subscribe to Singtel TV's mio Stadium+ pack (EPL only) at $64.90 per month or value packs from $69.90 per month at singtel.com/TV or call 1609, and Cast Sports Plus pack at cast.sg.
ST understands that while StarHub, which last held EPL broadcast rights for the 2009/10 season, has not secured the rights for now, Singtel did not confirm whether cross-carriage will be available for the next cycle.
In 2013, the Media Development Authority determined that Singtel had secured EPL broadcast rights on an exclusive basis and the matches will be subjected to cross-carriage on StarHub for three seasons starting that year. This arrangement continued in this ongoing cycle.
A Singtel spokesman would only say that it is "open to sub-licensing the EPL broadcast rights in Singapore", while a StarHub spokesman said it is "currently evaluating the options available to us".
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