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SINGAPORE: SingTel unveiled on Saturday football fans need to pay just S$23 to watch the Barclays English Premier League (EPL) on mio TV starting next year.
The telco on October 1 announced it had won the rights to the popular EPL for three years, starting from the 2010 season, after out-bidding rivals StarHub.
Fans had earlier expressed reservations it could cost more to switch from the current provider to SingTel.
However, the company has slashed the price by some 60 per cent from the current S$53 charged by StarHub.
StarHub's S$53 charge comprises S$24 for a basic package, S$25 for the sports package and S$4 for rental of the set-top box.
To catch EPL on mio TV, subscribers will only pay S$23, which covers all 380 Premier League Games, and comes inclusive of a set-top box and without the need for a basic plan.
Subscribers who sign up for a year will get the UEFA Champions League for free.
Said Allen Lew, chief executive officer of SingTel: "We have a total sports package that will be sold at S$25, again unbundled and that S$25 would include the Barclay's Premier League, ESPN, Star Sports and ESS News, which is a new 24-hour (sports) news channel."
SingTel said it is rolling out the pricing now because of media feedback, and it plans to monetise its huge investment with innovative content on various platforms.
Pricing for multi-media channels will be announced later.
SingTel also said pricing for non-household users such as pubs and hotels will also be competitive.
The telco said technology will also be enhanced to make the connection in homes more user-friendly and seamless with two set-top boxes.
This will be done by bringing in audio-visual experts to fine-tune the system.
SingTel is confident the lower pricing will attract existing pay-TV customers, and even those who currently do not use such services.
SingTel said it was under no pressure from the authorities to come up with its current pricing strategy.
However, the prices will be maintained for only one season until May 2011, after which they will be reviewed.
The company added that all households will be able to receive the channel by July next year.
What will you do if you want to watch EPL? Take part in our poll here.
- CNA/yb
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