Australian public-service broadcaster SBS and telecommunications company Optus have agreed sublicensing deals covering football’s English Premier League and 2018 Fifa World Cup.
Optus will sublicense on to SBS exclusive free-to-air rights for one Premier League match per round for three seasons, from 2016-17 to 2018-19. SBS will broadcast matches live and in high definition on its main channel, featuring every club from the league at least once throughout the season, and will also provide simultaneous live streaming. SBS will also show a replay of each match within 72 hours.
Optus will launch a new dedicated football channel for its coverage of the league.
Under the arrangement for coverage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Optus will offer the whole tournament across multiple platforms, including 39 matches on an exclusive basis, while SBS will retain simultaneous free-to-air rights for 25 of the games. SBS will have first pick of the matches, including the opening contest and all Australia national team games. The deal also secures the free-to-air coverage of four matches from the round of 16, two quarter-finals, both semi-finals and the final. SBS will retain daily highlights rights.
Optus will also have live rights for other events operated by Fifa, the sport’s global governing body, from 2017 to 2019, including the 2017 Confederations Cup and the 2019 Women's World Cup, with SBS holding free-to-air rights to some matches.