There was something exhilarating about watching Leicester beat Everton. Perhaps it was the knowledge that as of next season, potentially no one in Australia will be watching at all.
To suggest that Optus has conjured a public relations nightmare is an understatement.
The telco’s decision to hold fans to ransom by forcing us to be Optus customers to watch the English Premier League will backfire when no one bothers to sign up.
Not only has Optus shot itself in the foot by requiring fans to hold a plan worth $85 or more to qualify for free coverage, but by leaving the announcement so late, Optus has ensured there’s practically no time for fans to switch providers barely three months out from the start of the new campaign.
Add to that the fact that Optus has announced viewers “may not always experience High Definition quality” and the network is about to experience the backlash it fully deserves.
Having written three months ago about the potential for Optus to botch its EPL coverage, my question now is not ‘how could they do this?’ but rather ‘why are we surprised?’
In a nation in which consumers are routinely treated with contempt, are we honestly shocked that a telco which last year lacked even the basic infrastructure to broadcast the EPL has resolved to make fans pay for it?
It’s not like any of the company’s EPL plans represent good value for money.
If you already hold an Optus plan worth more than $85 – either through your mobile phone or broadband internet connection – then you’ve got the best of a bad lot.
At least you won’t have to fork out an extra $15 for the privilege of tuning in to a Standard Definition stream that will chew through your internet data quicker than Jamie Vardy goes down in the box.
But to suggest that Optus’ offering is somehow an improvement on the current EPL coverage is to clutch at proverbial straws.
Put simply, the cheapest fans can expect to pay to watch the Premier League on Optus is $55 – as in $40 for a post-paid Optus mobile phone account that invariably no one needs, plus another $15 for EPL access.
That’s compared to $50 for a basic Foxtel subscription which includes all the sports channels!
It would be remiss to mention the current broadcaster without pointing out that the new deal has at least roused Fox Sports into action.
Not only did they land a hammer blow by bringing the previously subscription-based beIN Sports into the Fox Sports suite of channels free of charge, but they followed up by signing a deal to broadcast on delay the games of six of the biggest clubs in the English top flight.
It’s not as if the potential to do so should have come as a surprise to Optus – Eurosport has been showing Aston Villa games all season.
The increased competition is about the only good news for consumers, and one wonders why Foxtel didn’t introduce the three beIN channels at an earlier date.
With beIN soon to be broadcast in High Definition on Foxtel, the network will not only be home to Euro 2016 and the UEFA Champions League, but also the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and a host of international fixtures.
Meanwhile, more than 1300 fans have already signed a petition to boycott Optus’ EPL coverage.
If they think fans are angry now, just wait until the 2018 World Cup when Optus holds exclusive broadcast rights.
Supposedly we’ll be able to watch all the action on “Australia’s first ever 24/7 football channel” on Fetch TV, while in the meantime Optus has also sub-licenced one EPL game per week to SBS.
The latter at least means fans can still watch on TV, as opposed to hovering around a 5-inch mobile phone screen or waiting for streams to buffer.
How this technology is supposed to be an improvement on simply watching a TV remains a mystery.
But at least Optus solved one conundrum last week. Their EPL broadcast plans sound like a pretty good deal for Foxtel.
rob
Guest
This is just terrible. Three weeks in and I'm hating this. How the hell do people like me with little to no internet coverage watch EPL now? Even if I had an Optus account (which I was for twenty years but had to get rid of it because Optus coverage outside Perth Metro is rubbish) the data costs would be astronomical. Foxtel was a saviour for me but Optus have screwed me royally. Not happy.
Andrew
Guest
Yeah nick.... have yout seen the bad feedback over round 1 of the EPL! They botched it big time! Poor quality. Bad streaming. Buffering all the time!
Ivan
Guest
In the end after numerous phones calls to Optus (which by the way resulted in different messages every time I rang), I decided reluctantly to opt out of Optus. I pay only $40 a month for my landline and Internet with Telstra. Admittedly we only get 50GB but that's all we need. So paying $95 a month this season for "free" EPL and $110 for the following two seasons is just too much. I pointed out to the last sales representative I spoke to at Optus that an additional charge of $70 for only one product was far too much. He realised at that point that I was not a potential customer and wrapped the conversation up very quickly. I wonder how many similar calls he has had. I just can't see this working for Optus. Not only do I think the cost of the plan is too steep but also I have my doubts that Optus can deliver an acceptable HD picture online. So I have come to terms with the reality that I will only see my beloved Everton 12 times this season but thankfully there is so much soccer to see on Foxtel and SBS. I think this story has a long way to go yet and that both Optus and Foxtel will make further moves. But I know for sure I won't become an Optus customer as long as they are asking so much.
jimmy b
Guest
couldn't justify getting foxtel to the misses. same price for internet so switched to optus internet bundle. stoked
Max Willow
Guest
I am a life-long West Ham United supporter. While it seems that Foxtel will provide delayed coverage of games involving 6 of the top EPL teams, what about the other 14 EPL team supporters. At this stage, it seems that I have no choice than joining Optus, if I want to continue watching regular, live, West ham games?! Any suggestions (eg keeping the Foxtel subscription and finding another add-on delivery option for the West ham games) would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Dr. Max Willow
Bob Brown
Roar Guru
Optus is owned by Singtel, who have nearly a billion customers across Asia and the pacific. There is zero chance they will lose money on the EPL, which is what you'll pay for all 380 EPL games a season if you are an Optus customer - zero, nada, zilch.
Mark
Guest
There was a big fuss about it at the time - it got plenty of news coverage (you can still find plenty of articles on it). For some reason, though, it was never legislated and lapsed.
Bob Brown
Roar Guru
I'm getting 380 games of EPL on my Phone, Computer or TV for free, zero cost. I can watch A-League games and finals for free. I can watch Socceroos and Matildas Olympics and world cup qualifiers for free. I can watch all socceroos and matildas world cup games for free. I can watch the FA Cup final for free. I'm running out of reasons to get Foxtel. If it wasn't for Foxtel and their politically motivated owners we would all have a world class, very fast speed internet network by now.
Beny Iniesta
Guest
Ok, well my mistake then, that was the memory I was working off in that there had been some sort of separation in terms of what sporting events were placed on the anti-siphoning list and this would explain why SBS were easily able to onsell most World Cup matches to a Pay TV provider.
Mark
Guest
Beny, the link I posted is the most recent list. The link you posted, on the other hand, was discussion on a Bill that was never actually passed by the Parliament and lapsed. I can't find anything suggesting the tier system exists despite the fact that the Bill to introduce it never passed. If you can, do enlighten me.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
One has to credit Optus for rolling up their sleeves and diligently ruining what should've been an easy sell by restricting access to those unfortunate enough to be using their telephony services. Anyone can make a PR mistake or behave like a twit, but it takes a true artist in the craft to make Foxtel look like the good guy.
Beny Iniesta
Guest
It's the beauty of competition. Someone's got to pay for the content, and usually that will be the consumer. The more the consumer pays up the better the service you can expect. It's a fairly simple concept. Companies will build high speed broadband when the consumer pays up at the right amount to make it economic. Very simple really. It amazes me some people don't seem to get it. The Government should definitely keep their noses out of the telcos space and let the market dictate what consumers want. Hell knows the Governments of the last few years have put us far enough in debt already to mean our kids will never be able to retire and can forget about a pension!
Jeshua
Guest
Foxtel didn't charge anything. Bein is a seperate entity that you could purchase and have transmitted through your foxtel account.
Beny Iniesta
Guest
Mark, well that is most certainly not right.There are Tiers to the anti-siphoning list as you seem to be unaware of. http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1112a/12bd150 Future anti-siphoning list for the rights to events acquired between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2015 Tier A—Broadcast on main channel Sport Football FIFA World Cup: quarter-finals, semi-finals, final and each match involving Australia Tier B—Any channel (1) SPORT Football All matches of the FIFA World Cup (excluding those on Tier A)^ Football FIFA World Cup qualifiers: each match involving Australia (the Socceroos)^ ^ These events are subject to final negotiation with rights holders and broadcasters over the detail of the listing, and obligations attached to that listing. So I'm sorry I wasn't clear, but it is really only 7 of the last 8 matches and any matches involving Australia that are fully protected by the anti-siphoning list as they are included in Tier A. You will notice that is still quite an achievement. The only Non-Final sporting events not involving Australia that are included on Tier A are the World Cup Quarter-Finals & World Cup Semi-Finals - 6 matches.
Jeshua
Guest
My contract with Telstra for my phones and internet don't expire until next April. How do I access EPL through this deal, in a legal way, without paying for an unnecessary service? That is one of the main issues with Optus and their offering. When I was with Optus their service was poor, as well as the staff interactions being a pain. Not keen to go back to that. So a better phone company isn't true (mind you, they all suck in some way). Looking forward to the upcoming A-League and EPL seasons, and hope that my teams (Jets and Arsenal) actually achieve something.
Chris Vincent
Roar Pro
Do you make a habit of missing the point, or did I just catch you on a bad day?
slade
Guest
Hi, Would just like to comment that this is a ridiculous concept and just will not work. 1) i have moved addresses 3 times in the last year and have been trying to get on Optus for the EPL rights, but where ever i move in Perth they do not provide on that exchange or have no available Ports. 2) The infrastructure in Australia is really really bad and i have ranged between 2500mbps to 5200mbps at the 3 houses i have lived in, all of these speeds are unsuitable for streaming football, and i know as i attempt it on eplondemand presently which constantly stops, jumps and freezes to the point of being unwatchable. 3) the NBN could fix this but will it ever be rolled out, it was meant to be rolled out to an area i lived in in 2009 it is still not there yet, well maybe to a couple of houses, and that brings us back to the shortage of Ports in Perth as new houses are going up so quick the Ports are going a lot quicker than being created. 4) Why would you make it even more expensive that Foxtel supply of it, it was the reason i went with eplondeman as i didnt want Foxtel to just watch Football, but Optus now is even more expensive than Foxtel. Surely this is suicide.
Mark
Guest
I have Foxtel and my apartment complex just became NBN ready. I could have signed up to Optus NBN and had both services, but I don't watch the EPL that much and I didn't want to reward them for their behaviour.
Mark
Guest
I've had my box for 18 months now. Not a single problem. My parents have also had Foxtel for close to 20 years, and I don't recall them ever having any problems. The techo was on time for my installation, and I've never had to call one out otherwise.
mattq
Roar Rookie
haha sure Fuss. I'm not positive about Foxtel, I hate that I have to pay for all the cr@p that comes with the basic package just to watch football. I also hate they have an AFL dedicated channel. And don't get me started on the groundhog day that is SkyNews. But with the new football content being added, I would say my $60p/m is justified now. I certainly won't be going across to Optus. Unless they won the A-League rights then I would change teclos no problem.