Sports Flick: Breaking down Australia’s latest sports streaming service
Previously a small, little-known streaming service, Sports Flick is now trying to shake up the Australian sports marketplace.
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Sports streaming has slowly and steadily emerged as a new force in the Australian broadcasting landscape. While Netflix and more recently Disney Plus have gouged their chunk of the market, sports streaming has been slower to establish itself.
Professional sport was once the exclusive domain of network television and then pay TV, with enormous sums paid for the lucrative broadcast rights. But that too has seen a gradual shift thanks to options like Kayo Sports and Optus Sport.
Now a Sydney-based streamer is trying to elbow its way into the market.
What is Sports Flick?
Sports Flick launched back in 2017 according to its LinkedIn page and began quietly snapping up extremely niche content for subscribers to stream. Think Serbian rugby league, Nicaraguan football and an outfit called Future Wrestling Australia for starters.
But it has big plans and, according to reports, plenty of funds. Sports Flick has added competitions like the Australian Baseball League, Korea's K-League, the UEFA Women's Champions League and the Austrian Bundesliga (that's right not the German Bundesliga) to its stable. The Korean and Austrian deals were announced just 6 days apart between February and March this year.
Now it is planning to land a major fish in the sports streaming pond.
"Sports Flick has a goal to become the number 1 location for football in Australia," Michael Turner, general manager of Sports Flick, said in a company statement.
What's next for Sports Flick?
In late February, Sports Flick is said to have secured one of the biggest football competitions in the world.
In a reported $60 million deal starting in the 2021/22 season, Sports Flick has attempted to snatch the rights away from Optus Sport. Optus boasts the English Premier League. That makes it a virtual must for Australian fans of the world game.
If Sports Flick is able to secure the Champions League rights, with Fox Sports holding the A-League rights, it sure muddies the situation in Australia.
How much is Sports Flick?
There are 2 models for signing up to the platform. You can get the annual pass for $99.99, which is actually $109.99 after tax. Otherwise it costs $14.99 a month or $16.49 after tax.
It also has pay-per-view events which incur an additional charge. To access an event called XFC 47, for example, Australia's answer to UFC, it will cost you $19.99. Serbian rugby league is also under the PPV banner for $5.79.
What's next for Sports Flick?
It's hard to say. It would seem the company has deep pockets and plenty of backing from its group of investors. It will also be banking on loads of sign-ups if it is to make such a large outlay for rights to the Champions League.
If it continues to grow and proves successful, the sky could be the limit when it comes to broadcast rights. There's also the fear of course that it could bite off more than it can chew. It will be a concerning situation for football fans right now. But a little extra competition in the marketplace is usually a good thing.
How does Sports Flick compare
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