Premier League to launch direct-to-consumer streaming in Singapore next season | OneFootball

The Premier League will launch a direct-to-consumer service in Singapore from next season, testing an alternative to the long-standing pay-TV model.

According to NY Times, Premier League + is a six-year joint venture with StarHub.

Fans will be able to download an app on TVs or laptops to watch all 380 matches, plus a dedicated channel. Chief executive Richard Masters said the league will see whether the model can be replicated elsewhere.

With rising costs and subscription fragmentation, supporters have long urged such a move. A direct offer could be cheaper than third-party bundles yet grow revenue by expanding the paying audience.

The league has stuck with lucrative, market-by-market broadcast deals that shift marketing and billing to partners, though in Singapore those duties will be shared with StarHub. If the benefits outweigh the costs, a wider Premier League + roll-out is considered almost inevitable.

The league has already moved its international content operation in-house. From next season production will switch to a new facility at Olympia in west London, ending a 20-year partnership with IMG.

Aston Villa executive Francesco Calvo said the Premier League is well placed to experiment in this way. Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson said the Singapore trial should yield valuable lessons.

By contrast, France’s Ligue 1 launched Ligue 1+ this season after years of pay-TV turmoil, and clubs’ media revenues have slumped over the last decade. The Premier League can test this from a position of strength and faces no immediate need to go fully direct-to-consumer.

Source: NY Times