LONDON (AP) — The Premier League will launch a Netflix-style direct-to-customer streaming platform starting next season, Chief Executive Richard Masters said Thursday.
Premier League Plus will initially launch in Singapore and, if successful, could be “replicated around the world”.
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“It’s been a very long, considered, carefully selected process,” Masters told the Financial Times Business Football Summit in London. “For the first time the Premier League will have its own customers. It will have to deal with promotion, pricing, churn, distribution and all the issues we are looking to build a business for.
“We are also looking to learn and see how this can be replicated around the world.”
The new platform could ultimately change the way fans consume the world’s most popular league, which has a reported global audience of 1.87 billion and is watched in 189 countries.
The league has long been rumored to launch a “Premflix” platform. It has previously sold its rights to independent broadcasters such as Sky Sports in the UK and NBC in the US.
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It will also open a new Premier League studio production center in London.
“What we’re doing with Premier League+ in Singapore is really learning and building the business,” Masters said. “If it goes well, it could be replicated. You don’t want to make any more predictions at this stage than I think.”
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James Robson at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
