There is definitely one way though, even if the upcoming game is a one-off and all games in the next 36 rounds are Stan exclusive. (Mark my words on this and feel free to come back in 9 months.)
Think about Monday 25 May 2026. The final day of the season. All games start 1.00am, no ifs, ands or buts.
Now imagine if by then we have not settled the title race, the run-in, or the relegation battle. What would Nine do in that scenario?
They could do a whiparound Goal Rush on Channel 9. Or if they really want to, put games on all channels from 9 to 9Life and even Extra. (Would Nine want to deal with an inevitable backlash if it’s all-paywalled?)
That scenario is certainly being prepared right now, I bet. (And Sky Sports have done such a thing once before for F1.)
EPL won’t draw in massive figures like the AFL and NRL, but it is insanely popular amongst the younger demographic, and its only getting more popular. If you want to bring back younger audiences to FTA, this is how you do it. It’s both a good advertisement for Nine and for Stan as well.
Stan Sport’s proposition is having every game live. It’s also the future by way of streaming . Why you’d stop that exclusivity once a match day to drive interest to FTA/linear TV seems incredibly backward and frankly, defying any logic.
One game a week on another platform (which is free) isn’t going to cost Stan subs.
Yes, linear will die but I assume for Nine, 9now is their streaming future. They need sport
Sorry, it’s just a silly idea. It may not cost subs necessarily but it just kneecaps the whole proposition.
Can’t advertise Stan as having every game live, for example.
Nine presents the 2025 English Premier League, featuring Man City going head to head with Tottenham, live from Etihad Stadium, UK. Kick off at 9:30PM AEST.
East coast is main channel following the NRL. Adelaide and Perth TBA.
It it rates well, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a game on Saturday night every week. There might be a decent audience who has a passing interest in football but isn’t going to pay at least $20 a month for Stan Sport.
With the EPL starting at 9.30pm tonight (and the next two Saturdays) on Nine, I bet they are hoping that there will be no extra time in the NRL preceding it, or many stoppages.
