Telecommunications company Optus has acquired exclusive rights in Australia for football’s English Premier League top tier.
The deal will run for three seasons, from 2016-17 to 2018-19. The agreement includes live coverage on television, broadband and mobile platforms for all 380 games per season.
Pay-television operator Foxtel, which has been the Premier League’s sole broadcaster in the country since 1997, will be dislodged as the league’s rights-holder in Australia.
According to the Australian Financial Review newspaper, Optus tabled a bid of more than A$50m (€33m/$36m) per season, substantially more than Foxtel and beIN Media Group.
Optus chief executive Allen Lew said the deal represented “another significant step in our strategy to become a mobile-led multimedia company”.
Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore added: “Optus has an excellent track record as a multifaceted telecommunications company in Australia and we look forward to working with them to make all the best Premier League content available to our fans across the country.”