Sydney Start-Up Snatches Champions League Rights
Sports Flick, a Sydney-based start-up, has unexpectedly secured the exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League in Australia, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The rights are reported to be worth approximately $60 million over a three-year period, starting with the 2021-22 season.
The deal takes the rights away from Optus Sport, who broadcast the competition for three seasons.
Sports Flick was launched in January 2019, and initially broadcast niche sports leagues including European handball, European cricket, Indian baseball, and Nicaraguan football.
Their latest Champion’s League coup has the potential to establish them as a new major player in Australian football rights.
Sports Flick CEO, Dylan Azzopardi, recently tweeted about his company’s potential broadcast moves, quoting their ambition to become “A Home For Football”.
Football content on @SportsFlick at the moment. Stay tuned as we’ll be announcing a few more football leagues in the coming days. @SportsFlick “A Home For Football”⚽️ @UWCL ✅@lgaprimera ✅@AGLeague_EN ✅@kleague ✅
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They currently charge $14.99 per month, as well as offering on-demand subscriptions for specific sports such as Serbian rugby league.
The Australian-based streaming service also notably obtained the rights to the K-League this year, taking over the rights from Optus Sport.
Optus has been building a significant portfolio of live football, including the English Premier League, FA Women’s Super League, and international football tournaments such as EURO 2020 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
For Australian football fans, access to domestic and global leagues is becoming increasingly fragmented.
The A-League, W-League and most European club leagues are available on Fox Sports and Kayo.
Access to all major football leagues will now require subscriptions to Optus Sport, Kayo/Foxtel, and Sports Flick.
With the A-League’s broadcast deal with Fox Sports to expire midway through this year, there is potential for more movement in the football broadcast rights market in Australia.
Ministry of Sport reached out to Optus Sport for comment on the Champions League rights and was informed Optus does not comment on sports rights negotiations.
