Bad news for EPL fans: Optus Sport’s free access gone and price rising
Price rises and end of complimentary use for selected Optus customers coming in August.
Optus Sport has announced changes to the sports streaming service, not long after the final day of the English Premier League (EPL).
These changes are due to take effect from 1 August and include an increase in price. Selected Optus customers who previously had free access will now have to pay for the service as well.
How much will Optus Sport now cost?
The new subscription price will be $24.99 a month, an increase from its current $14.99 a month. Annual passes to the service will now be $199, still at a discounted rate but up from the present $139.
Eligible Optus customers, who previously received access to Optus Sport at no cost, will now have to pay $6.99 a month, which is a discount of over 70% on the new price.
Why has the cost of Optus Sport gone up?
While no official reasons for the price increase have been given, we can speculate 1 reason is simply inflation and the cost of living going up.
Optus Sport also recently renewed its rights to broadcast the EPL in November 2021. Although no figure was confirmed, its cost was sure to be expensive. This would have been the case especially if other streaming services like Stan Sport and Kayo were also bidding on them, pushing up the price.
There's a possibility that Optus Sport lost subscribers when Stan Sport acquired the rights to the UEFA Champions League and other competitions back in 2021. It will now need to make a return on its investment from a smaller subscriber base.
What other changes are coming to Optus Sport?
All live and on-demand EPL matches will be now available to stream in 1080p HD on supported devices. That's up from the current resolution of 720p HD.
I'm an Optus customer going to be affected by the changes – what happens?
Optus said that you will be contacted in the coming weeks to confirm how the changes will affect you. Your Optus Sport subscription will be managed through Optus SubHub and $6.99 a month automatically added to your account.
If you no longer wish to subscribe, you will also receive information on how to unsubscribe.
What if I subscribed directly via the Optus Sport website?
You'll hear directly in the coming weeks about how these changes affect your subscription. If you continue to subscribe, you will be charged the new fees from your first payment cycle after 1 August.
To keep subscribing, Optus outlines, "There is nothing you need to do to keep on accessing Optus Sport subscription content. You will remain logged in on all your devices, and your existing Optus Sport account username and password will remain unchanged."
What if I subscribed via the Apple Store or Google Play store?
Changes for existing subscribers who signed up via the Apple or Google Play Store take effect after the August billing cycle.
Optus Sport advises, "After you make your payment in August, you will receive a notification from the app store asking you to confirm whether you wish to continue subscribing at the new price point. If you choose not to accept or do not respond to the confirmation request before the next payment is due, you will be unsubscribed automatically."
What football is coming to Optus Sport?
After 1 August when the new prices begin, it will be the start of the new EPL season. Further down the track in 2023 is the FIFA Women's World Cup being hosted in Australia and New Zealand. Optus Sport also broadcasts the FA Women's Super League, UEFA Nations League, the J League and Women's Euro 2022.
Optus Sport also stated it will "continue bringing you every match live, plus full replays, mini matches, highlights, magazine shows and more".
Keen to know about more sports streaming? Check out our full guide here.
Images via Optus Sport website and Sportskeeda.
