Football fans are smiling this weekend with the return of the English Premier League. The 20-team competition is generally ranked as the best competition in the world with many of the best players.
There’s only one place to watch live games in Australia – Optus Sport. The 2024-25 Premier League season commences Saturday, 17 August (AEST).
The off-season has seen many fans occupied first with the UEFA Euros (also on Optus Sport) and then the Paris Olympics (not on Optus Sport).
Optus Sport has listed some of the highlights for the start of the season:
• Blockbuster matches in Australian prime time in the opening rounds
• Manchester City hunting record-breaking fifth consecutive title
• Australia’s Ange Postecoglou seeking consistency for second year in charge at Tottenham
• Five clubs start the season with new managers
All 380 matches will be live and on demand on Optus Sport with analysis from Premier League legends like Mark Schwarzer, Michael Bridges and more.
Premier League price rise
In a football league known for continuing inflation, some fans have been grumbling about they are now going to have to pay more to watch.
Optus Sport started life as a free add-on for people who were Optus customers for broadband or mobile. The price for those subscribers later climbed to $6.99 a month. Then just last month those customers were alerted to a 40% price rise to $9.99 a month. The price for non-Optus customers remains at $24.99 monthly.
The spin put on the price rise announcement was that Optus customers were getting a 60% discount on the price others have to pay. Optus Sport is not alone among streaming platforms. Virtually all platforms have lifted prices during 2024.
$120 a year for Premier League is seen as a deal-breaker for some, while others reckon it’s a worthy investment for not just Premier League, but also the other football competitions Optus Sport shows across a 12-month period.
See also: Optus Sport joins Hubbl
Opening weekend games
• Manchester United will start the season at Old Trafford against Fulham at 5am (AEST) on Saturday 17 August
• Liverpool and new manager Arne Slot, who succeeded Jurgen Klopp following his successful nine-year era with the Reds, will fancy their chances against newly-promoted Ipswich Town in the first of six 9:30pm (AEST) Saturday night games before daylight saving pushes those matches later in most states
• Ipswich Town, featuring Socceroo Cam Burgess and former Australia international Massimo Luongo, will be at home as it starts back in the Premier League
• Arsenal will get their campaign underway against the Wolverhampton Wanderers at midnight on Sunday, 18 August (AEST)
• Everton will also host Brighton at midnight on Sunday 18 August, the same time Newcastle United take on Southampton and Nottingham Forest come up against Bournemouth
• West Ham United and Aston Villa then meet at 2:30am on Sunday morning (AEST)
• Brentford host Crystal Palace at 11pm Sunday night (AEST)
• A blockbuster 1:30am morning game on Monday 19 August (AEST) sees Chelsea v Manchester City
• Leicester and Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur cap off the opening round of fixtures at 5am on Tuesday, 20 August (AEST)
Mark Schwarzer’s tips
Speaking on the Optus Sport Football Podcast, analyst Mark Schwarzer said: “There are three new teams, six new managers.
“I’ve got Manchester City winning it. But there’s a big question. Kevin De Bruyne, I think he’s obviously going to play a part, but I don’t think he’s a happy bunny when he’s not playing all the time. And I don’t think he’s at that level anymore. Then is it Pep Guardiola’s last dance? Because it’s the last year of his contract.
“My concern with Arsenal is a lack of transfer activity. Their big issue is scoring goals consistently, certainly having someone up there and they don’t have that yet. But obviously, there’s still time to go until the transfer window closes.
“I hope Chelsea are able to make the top four, but I don’t have them down as a top four. I’ve actually got Liverpool and Spurs making up the remaining two places in the top four.
“This is Ange’s make or break season. If he doesn’t start well, because there were those moans last season, if they do get exposed, there’s going to be an enormous amount of pressure on him. But who knows, Ipswich may be able to do something unthinkable!”
Optus Sport promises analysis, highlights and insights
Head of Optus Sport, Howard Rees, said Optus Sport is the only place to experience every match of the Premier League.
“There are so many tantalising questions as we head into the 2024-25 season – can Manchester City do what no team has done before and claim a record-breaking fifth-consecutive Premier League title? Can Arsenal deliver on their potential by going one better than last year? Can Australia’s Ange Postecoglou keep Spurs firing for the whole season?” he said.
“We can’t wait to bring all of the action, as well as plenty of analysis, highlights and insights from our team of experts throughout the season.”
How and where to watch
Optus Sport subscribers can stream matches live with replays, mini matches and extended highlights.
Subscribers can also watch Optus Sport via their website, mobile and tablet apps and a range of other apps across Smart TVs (including Samsung, Sony, LG, Hisense, Android TV), streaming devices (including Chromecast, Fire TV, Apple TV) and games consoles (Xbox, PS4/PS5).
Optus Sport will also be the new home of the Emirates FA Cup from November 2024.