News Corp has scooped up English Premier League rights on mobile and internet for several Asian territories and hinted at a major push in the region dubbed “the sweetest of sweet spots”, led from Australia.
The EPL rights will sit alongside the likes of the German, Italian and Frnech leagues with the company holding rights for them in Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan, as well as all the local leagues there.
In a statement released overnight News Corp chief executive Robert Thompson said the new play will be a mobile and online push in the region, where mobile adoption and soccer fanaticism are amongst the highest in the world.
“Digital delivery of European football in Asia is the sweetest of sweet spots,” he said, adding: “The deal would not have been possible without the expertise of Fox Sports Australia and its talented team, who have provided us with unlimited energy and creativity.
“Our Australian operation will play an integral role in our ambitious digital and mobile expansion in Asia."
The EPL rights are valid for three years, whilst the other deals have a two year expiry.
The company has heritage delivering sports content on these platforms, and has recently acquired a number of sporting rights for The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times to show near-live clips of the EPL on their sites.
They hope the extended offerings, with plans afoot to leverage more of News Corp owned Fox Sports' content across newspaper channels in Australia, will encourage more subscribers as many of the company's mastheads move to paywall models.
