Nine Lands Premier League, FA Cup Rights

Nine in Australia has secured the rights to the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup, beginning in the 2025-26 season, amid the closure of Optus Sport.

All matches will stream live and on-demand on Stan Sport, with the Premier League available in 4K for the first time in Australia. The deal with Optus Sport also brings Japan’s J.League and America’s National Women’s Soccer League to Stan Sport, as well as the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025.

“This marks a step change in Nine’s digital growth strategy,” said Matt Stanton, CEO of Nine. “The Premier League is the most-watched football league on the planet, and alongside the Emirates FA Cup, this acquisition reinforces Nine’s position as the home of sport in Australia. We are proud to deliver these iconic competitions to Australian audiences through Stan Sport.”

Stanton added: “The full power of Nine will be activated to bring new attention and energy to the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup. With more than 20 million Australians engaging with Nine’s platforms every month, we have an unrivaled ability to generate excitement at scale, drive audience growth and deliver meaningful commercial outcomes for our partners.”

Stephen Rue, CEO of Optus, said: “One of our key priorities was to find a home for Optus Sport content which would take the game forward and enable all Optus Sport subscribers to continue to receive uninterrupted access to all their favourite football actions. Optus Sport customers and the game of football will be in great hands at Stan, and we know the game will receive the broadcasting priority it deserves from an organisation whose speciality is delivering quality sports programming to its customers.”

Amanda Laing, managing director of streaming and broadcast at Nine, added: “With this deal, Stan Sport takes its next big leap—delivering the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup alongside UEFA Champions League, Grand Slam tennis and our deep rugby slate, in one of the most powerful sport offerings in the country. It’s a line-up built for the next era of sport reaching Australians across every screen, and now elevating the viewing experience with Premier League available in 4K for the first time in Australia. Momentum is building. With the British & Irish Lions Tour, Wimbledon and the Winter Olympics on the horizon, this acquisition adds firepower to an already blockbuster calendar.”

Laing was at APOS in Bali last week to highlight her new strategy across streaming and digital.