Nine makes early move to extend Stan Sport Premier League rights

Nine Entertainment has made an early offer to extend Stan Sport’s Premier League rights, signalling an intent to secure a cornerstone property beyond the current agreement and strengthen its negotiating position ahead of the next cycle.The push matters because the Premier League has become a key driver for Stan Sport’s subscriber momentum, while Nine is also carrying a growing slate of premium rights that needs long-term planning around pricing, churn and bundling.Two people with knowledge of Nine’s strategy said the company presented the Premier League with an extension pitch at a broadcaster workshop in the UK late last month, with a small delegation attending a three-day session aimed at sharing product and coverage ideas.Nine declined to comment on the approach.Stan acquired the Premier League rights from Optus after the telco shut down its sports streaming service and shifted focus back to its core operations.The deal brought Premier League media rights, subscriber agreements and social media assets into Stan from August 1, with the current arrangement running until the end of the 2027–28 season.Nine told the market at the time: “After taking account of these payments, Nine expects this acquisition to be both EBITDA and cash positive to Stan over the remaining terms of the media rights agreement.”The Premier League rights have been positioned internally as a catalyst asset, with Nine reporting a 40% year-on-year increase in Stan Sport subscribers at its February half-year results, alongside cost growth linked to the rights and production.Nine has also continued to hire around its sports strategy, including appointing former Optus Sport chief Howard Rees into a senior role in its broadcast and streaming division following the rights acquisition.The early extension move suggests Nine wants to reduce renewal risk and improve forward visibility across its sports P and L, particularly as rights holders increasingly seek earlier commitment in exchange for longer terms, marketing support and distribution certainty.It also lands as the Premier League’s existing international agreements for the 2025–26 to 2027–28 cycle are now established, with the league already showing a willingness in some territories to extend deals into the next window.The 2026–27 Premier League fixtures are scheduled to be announced on June 19, with the season set to start in August, which gives Stan a clear marketing runway and a fresh proof point for the competition’s subscriber pull in Australia.The next steps are whether the Premier League opts to open formal extension talks with Stan Sport now or keeps negotiations closer to the next rights timeline, while Nine assesses how aggressively to bid as it shapes its wider sports portfolio strategy into the 2030s.