Nine and Optus close in on a deal for the English Premier League
The two companies are expected to announce an agreement involving highly coveted streaming rights in the coming weeks. However, no deal has been finalised.
Nine Entertainment and Optus are closing in on a deal that could see the highly coveted streaming rights to the English Premier League change hands in Australia for the first time in nearly a decade.
The two companies are expected to announce an agreement in the coming weeks for Nine’s sports streamer Stan to take over the rights from the 2025–26 season, according to sources briefed on the situation who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the talks. However, no agreement has been signed and there is no guarantee a deal will be finalised.
Nine is expected in industry circles to use the British and Irish Lions Tour — streaming on Stan Sport from 28 June — to kick off a marketing campaign in a bid to ensure that subscribers have enough time to migrate ahead of game one of the Premier League season.
This timeline, which one source cautioned is not final and may still change, would position Nine as the incumbent and frontrunner to renew the rights. It would also give the company roughly 18 months to strengthen its football offering to win favour with the Premier League.
