Optus has begun promoting its coverage of the English Premier League by launching webpage calling for viewers to register their interest.
The page, which can be found here, asks for basic contact information and whether you are a Optus customer, a hint the telco will use EPL rights to convert fans into new customers (pictured below).
A Roy Morgan survey last week found that 20% of Australian EPL viewers would switch internet providers to watch the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Sergio Agüero (pictured) and Wayne Rooney strut their stuff. This could amount to more than 330,000 new customers.
How this will impact upon rival Telstra, which part owns current EPL rights holder Foxtel, is unclear. Media agency bosses, including Maxus CEO Mark McCraith and Carat boss Simon Ryan, have previously told AdNews they expect the damage to be minimal because live EPL coverage occurs overnight and Foxtel has a stronghold on all four top Australian football codes.
Since Optus won the EPL rights in a $180 million three-year deal, the telco has remained tight-lipped about how it plans to use them, but a direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service will be at the heart of any plans.
Optus provides a similar streaming service for Cricket Australia, although the EPL deal includes broadcasting rights as well.
There are few clues whether Optus will on-sell the TV and radio rights or produce its own broadcast on Fetch TV, a subscription TV service that Optus offers packages to.
Either way, Optus stands to make a windfall on new customers. The question remains whether Optus' broader broadcasting strategy will allow it to make a return on its investment in the world's most popular football league.
In January Optus named UM its media agency after a lengthy pitch process. It brought to an end the telco's three-year relationship with Starcom MediaVest (SMG). UM also won the media account for Virgin Mobile.
For more, see:
UM wins $40m Optus media, creative roster appointed
Top 10 facts on Optus' roster overhaul
What does the Optus shake-up mean?
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