Premier League confirms streaming service – and it’s not called Premflix
The Premier League is to launch a streaming platform in Singapore that could pave the way for a global direct-to-consumer “Premflix” product, CEO Richard Masters has confirmed.
The long-rumoured new service, a collaboration with telco StarHub, is to be called Premier League + and show all 380 games live as well as magazine content, starting next season.
Singapore will act as a pilot but the launch of the platform – which will broadcast non-stop content and be available via an app – will give the Premier League an additional option for maximising the value of its rights in all markets.
“For the first time, we’re going direct-to-consumer in Singapore. It’s a very long, considered process, carefully chosen,” said Masters.
“We have a six-year agreement with StarHub, one of the two providers out there. So from next season onwards, Premier League +, rather than Premflix, finally it’s going to happen.
Premier League Plus ‘can be a business’
“Its the first time the Premier League is going to have its own customers. It’s going to have to deal with promotion, pricing, churn, distribution, all of those things.
“We’re looking to build a business. We’re also looking to learn, to see how that might be replicable around the world.”
English football’s top flight has become the richest and most powerful in the world thanks to its market-leading TV contracts, but global headwinds have slowed growth of sports media rights.
Its decision to bring Premier League Productions, its long-standing venture with IMG, in-house was widely seen as a possible precursor to launching its own direct-to-consumer service.
“We’ve now taken control of our content,” Masters told the FT Business of Football Summit.
“It allows us to look differently in the future, and it may become a business center in its own right, but I think it does make all of those different options we have in front of us more easy to execute.”