Nine Entertainment Secures Premier League Rights Through 2034
Synopsis
Nine Entertainment locks in Premier League streaming rights through 2034, extending a deal that has driven strong subscriber growth for Stan Sport.
Key Highlights
- Nine Entertainment has secured the Australian streaming and broadcast rights for the Premier League until 2033–34
- Stan EBITDA jumped from $40 million to $81 million between 2021 (FY21) and 2026 (FY26).
- Over the last year, average Stan Sport subscribers doubled thanks mainly to the Premier League.
Nine Extends Premier League Partnership
Nine Entertainment has announced a six-year extension of its Premier League streaming and broadcast rights granting access to all matches in Australia until the 2033-34 season. The agreement includes exclusive Australian rights covering the 2028–29 season through to 2033–34, plus every match played in 38 match weeks each season on the platform.
The rights fee for FY29 is likely to be broadly flat YoY with FY28, under the new agreement; and will grow at a compound annual growth rate of about 3% over its next six years.
Pioneering Development Leveraged By Premier League Content
Tight but improving profit margins, Stan's EBITDA more than doubled from $40 million in FY21 to $81 million in FY26, over five years. Growth that can be largely attributed to the Premier League, which has seen average Stan Sport subscribers more than double (50%) over the course of 12 months.
Nine also noted it intended to leverage both Stan and its wider media platforms with a view to building awareness of the sport among broad audiences, It will also see the company cost structure change with legacy Optus contributions terminating under the new agreement. It should be compensated for by either decreasing existing discounts for Optus customers or new measures to save costs and boost revenue, however.
Management Comments on the Deal
Football is the world's game followed with unmatched passion by millions of fans right around Australia CEO of Nine Matt Stanton said. He said the arrival of the Premier League on Stan has been a bona fide game changer for the business, and that the company was “delighted” to extend the partnership for another eight years which he characterised as key to Nine’s continued strategy around premium content and uniting Australian audiences around major sport.
Stanton said the deal bolstered Nine’s wider sports portfolio, which also includes the NRL and NRLW, all four Tennis Grand Slams, the Olympic Games, Rugby Union, the NBL and WNBL, Netball and more. These partnerships reflect Nine’s long-term strategy of investing in advertising-free, premium live sport and bringing Australians major sporting moments, he said.
What’s Next for Nine Entertainment
Nine’s strategy has largely remained unchanged, with a premium sports offering to enhance engagement across Stan Sport and its broader ecosystem. The Premier League deal is expected to help maintain subscriber growth as well as provide a foundation for pricing for Stan Sport.
In addition, Nine, which hopes to absorb new rights cost increases through new revenue initiatives and operational efficiencies, leveraging its greater broadcast assets, is seeking a reduced dilution of margin.
Source: Motley Fools
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