LONDON, Feb 27 — The Premier League is set to introduce a direct-to-consumer streaming service in Asia next season, starting with Singapore, in a move that could reshape the future of football broadcasting.

According to the Daily Mail, the service, called Premier League Plus, will bypass traditional broadcasters, giving fans direct access to live matches. 

While it currently appears limited to Singapore, the league has hinted it could expand further if the trial succeeds.

“For the first time, we’re going direct-to-consumer in Singapore,” said Premier League chief executive Richard Masters at the Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit in London.

“It’s a very long, considered process, carefully chosen. We have a six-year agreement with StarHub, one of the two providers out there. So from next season onwards, Premier League Plus — rather than Premflix — finally, it’s going to happen.

“It will be a new app that you can download on your smart TV or laptop. You’ll be able to watch 380 games a season, with lots of shoulder content and a 24/7 dedicated channel. Will it be replicable elsewhere? That’s what we’re going to find out.”

Masters first revealed in 2020 that the Premier League was working on a Netflix-style digital streaming channel, dubbed “PremFlix”, to sell live matches directly to fans. 

The expectation is that a single streaming service could be more affordable than subscribing to multiple broadcasters.

If the Singapore trial succeeds, the Premier League could consider wider rollout. 

Masters has noted that the football broadcasting landscape must evolve, but the league has long benefited from selling rights to broadcasters worldwide. 

The domestic deal between 2025 and 2029 with Sky Sports and TNT Sports is valued at £6.7 billion (RM35.2 billion).

Launching its own broadcasts will require the Premier League to take on production, marketing, and customer service alongside StarHub. 

Sky Sports and TNT Sports have decades of experience in these areas, which have contributed to the league’s global growth. 

Running in-house broadcasts carries risks, including maintaining impartiality in journalistic coverage—for example, whether critical discussion of club owners would be allowed.

Other leagues have tried similar moves. 

Last summer, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 launched a subscription channel after the LFP failed to secure a traditional rights deal. 

Despite initial financial instability among clubs, the Ligue 1+ service gained 1.1 million subscribers, with 80 per cent paying for content. 

The league aims to add another million subscribers by the end of the 2028-29 season to meet financial targets.