Tabcorp and Optus Business have signed a two-year deal to broadcast the English Premier League and the 2018 FIFA World Cup to the betting company’s Sky Racing venues across Australia.
The new agreement means venues can feature Optus Sport 1 (the 24/7 Premier League channel) via their Sky Racing boxes, with an option to show a second live game when multiple games are played at the same time.
Sky Racing 1, 2 and Trackside will remain unchanged and will continue to be shown in all venues, with Optus Sport an addition to the Sky broadcast in pubs, clubs and TAB agencies.
Within the first few rounds of the EPL season, hotels, clubs and TAB agencies that are part of the initial roll-out will broadcast matches in ideal timeslots, such as Bournemouth versus Manchester City (Saturday 26 August at 9.30pm AEST) and Manchester City versus Liverpool (Saturday 9 September at 9.30pm AEST).
Tabcorp managing director and CEO David Attenborough said: “The broadcast of the English Premier League and the 2018 FIFA World Cup to hotels, clubs and TAB agencies will deliver additional benefits to our venue partners.
“Outside of the three codes of racing, soccer is consistently one of the most popular sports with Tabcorp customers, and the Premier League is the most popular soccer competition.”
John Paitaridis, managing director of Optus Business, said: “Tabcorp is a longstanding customer of Optus through its relationship with Optus Satellite.
“This new agreement represents a significant step for Optus in expanding and broadening our relationship with Tabcorp with new infrastructure and media services.”
