European Football Boosts Optus Sport

Optus Sport has recorded major growth in audience numbers this year, largely due to its coverage of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

The final round of the Premier League saw Optus Sport record its highest ever viewing numbers, even topping coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, to cap off its biggest ever week, with unique weekly viewers up 130% compared to the same week last season.

Optus head of TV and content, Corin Dimopoulos, said European football is a large reason why sign-ups to Optus Sport have increased rapidly, ahead of the Champions League final and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France next month.

“We’re thrilled with the strong growth of Optus Sport viewers this year and the fantastic feedback we’ve received from fans across the country,” Mr Dimopoulos said.

“This season has delivered non-stop, jaw-dropping moments from the world’s most popular game, and we’re delighted to see a record number of fans signing up to Optus Sport ahead of the must-see Champions League final on Sunday, June 2 and the launch of the spectacular FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 on Saturday, June 8.

“I’m proud of our coverage and the work of our excellent production crew and very dedicated on-air hosts and commentators, such as Mark Schwarzer, Michael Bridges, Mel McLaughlin, Ned Zelic and Richard Bayliss,” he said.

Year-on-year, audience numbers are rising more than 100%, with sign-ups increasing over 50% per year as Optus Sport has worked to improve the volume of game streamed to almost three games a day on average.

As well as the broadcast streams, Optus Sport has also seen an improvement of their social media reach and interactions every year, reporting a 65% increase in followers every year, along with about 300,000 in organic views for two highlight clips from the Champions League.