Optus confirmed it has won the bid for the exclusive Australian rights to the Barclays Premier League for three seasons starting in August next year.

Optus chief executive officer Allen Lew said that securing the broadcast and digital rights of the Premier League was a great win for the company.

“This is another significant step in our strategy to become a mobile-led multimedia company,” Lew said. “We are dedicated to delivering the best domestic and international entertainment for our customers.”

The Premier League is one of the most sought after sports properties for content providers with 930 million followers all around the globe. Optus’ deal with Premier League includes live broadcast coverage and digital rights for broadband and mobile for all 380 football games every season.

Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore is “extremely pleased” that Optus has chosen to invest in the English league’s broadcasting rights for three seasons, running from the 2016-2017 up to the 2018-2019 season.

“They have an excellent track record as a multifaceted telecommunications company in Australia and we look forward to working with them to make all the best Premier League content available to our fans across the country,” Scudamore said.

Optus will now add football to its sporting resume, which already includes cricket after a sponsorship deal was struck earlier this month to be Cricket Australia’s mobile streaming partner, according to The Guardian. Optus’ new deal with EPL also ends Foxtel’s longstanding exclusive broadcast agreement with the football league.

Fox is yet to agree to another pay-TV deal with the NRL after Channel Nine won the live rights to air National Rugby League games.

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