Nine places Premier League at heart of Stan’s long game
Nine Entertainment is nearing a six-year Premier League rights extension worth up to US$600m as the Australian media group makes elite football central to Stan Sport’s subscriber growth strategy.
Nine Entertainment is in advanced talks to retain exclusive Australian Premier League rights under a six-year agreement that could be worth almost US$600m, significantly increasing its long-term commitment to Stan Sport.The proposed contract would begin with the 2028-29 season and run until May 2034. A final agreement has not been announced and the reported value may depend on the completed terms.Nine currently shows every Premier League match live and on demand through Stan Sport after acquiring the Australian rights from Optus in 2025. The transaction also included the Emirates FA Cup.The broadcaster is understood to contribute about A$60m annually under the existing arrangement, while Optus continues to cover part of the cost attached to its previous Premier League contract.A new deal could take Nine’s annual commitment towards A$140m, removing the Optus subsidy and making the competition one of the company’s largest sports investments.The scale of the proposed agreement underlines the Premier League’s role as a subscriber acquisition and retention asset rather than simply a standalone content purchase.Stan Sport subscriptions have reportedly increased by about 40% since the platform added the competition. Nine has also raised the monthly price of the sports package by A$5, supporting its effort to improve revenue per subscriber.Premier League rights provide Stan with a long season, consistent weekly inventory and strong engagement among football audiences. The schedule also complements the platform’s rugby, tennis, motorsport and UEFA club competition coverage.Nine can use the competition to reduce cancellations between major short-duration events, while promoting Stan’s entertainment service alongside the additional sports subscription.The negotiations follow Nine’s agreement with Foxtel on a seven-year domestic NRL rights contract beginning in 2028. Nine’s contribution to that package will include A$145m in annual cash payments, alongside further contra commitments.Securing both properties would create a substantial fixed-cost obligation until 2034 but give Nine control of two sports capable of supporting different parts of its media business.The NRL remains central to Nine’s free-to-air television schedule and advertising proposition, while the Premier League is primarily intended to drive paid streaming revenue.Nine’s strategy also reflects the fragmentation of Australian sports broadcasting. DAZN owns Foxtel, Amazon has pursued major rights and Paramount continues to use football to support its local streaming and free-to-air platforms.Optus previously treated the Premier League as a customer acquisition tool for its telecommunications business, securing the rights in 2016 before withdrawing from sports broadcasting to concentrate on its core operations.Nine is now applying a similar bundling strategy across streaming and entertainment, but the higher reported rights fee will increase pressure on Stan Sport to expand its paying audience and limit subscriber churn.An extension until 2034 would give the Premier League long-term distribution certainty in Australia while allowing Nine to plan pricing, production and commercial partnerships across two full rights cycles.Completion of the agreement would make the Premier League one of the foundations of Nine’s streaming business at the same time as the company begins funding its new NRL contract.