Cheapest Premier League Subscription Plan: Is Football Only For The Rich?
It is time of the year to make some bad personal finance decisions!
I am starting to receive invites to join Fantasy Premier League, indicating the impending kick-off of one of the most anticipated football league.
I use to join the queue at Singapore Pools to stupidly put money behind my favourite team(Arsenal, hence stupid) every year.
Decided to do it online this year cause of social distancing.
Be a socially responsible citizen, everyone!
This Premier League season is starting to look like an interesting one and we begin looking for options to watch the matches.
Where To Watch English Premier League Without Mio TV or Starhub TV?
There is a group of us that grew up relying more on Netflix and Youtube as our source of entertainment.
Who watches TV anyway? We want to have the freedom to choose what we watch at any point in time!
The good news is that you can now catch your favourite English Premier League matches even if you do not have a Mio TV or Starhub TV at home.
Singtel launched various Sports Plus plans that give consumers more flexibility when it comes to watching soccer.
I know this sounds sponsored, but it is NOT! Singtel holds the monopoly of the English Premier League, and we cannot talk about watching the Premier League legally without talking about them.
| Plan to watch Premier League | Variation | Price |
|---|---|---|
Sports Plus | 7-Day Pass | $19.90 |
| 12 Month Contract - Free 3 Months | $49.90 per month | |
| No Contract | $49.90 per month |
Apparently, Singtel’s Sports Plus plan allows you to have full access to Premier League, Bundesliga, AFC Cup, tennis, basketball, golf and many other sports. You can also watch it across multiple platforms with the CAST app which is available on both Android and iOS.
Sports Plus will give us access to these channels:
- mio Stadium 104
- FOX Sports
- FOX Sports 2
- FOX Sports 3
- beIN SPORTS MAX
- mio Sports
What Is The Cheapest Option To Watch My Favourite Football Team Play In The Premier League?
I contemplated between looking for the nearest bar and some other pirated streaming channels before deciding to check out the outrageous price Singaporeans pay for, for the love of football.
In Singapore, the Premier League broadcast deal was awarded to Singtel.
Here’s a list of the packages Singtel is offering for football fans:
| Service Provider | Package | Price | Number of channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singtel | Sports Plus on CAST | $49.90 per month | 7 Channels |
| mio Stadium+ | $64.90 per month | 7 Channels | |
| Action Value | $69.90 per month | 102 Channels | |
| Desi Value | $72.90 per month | 115 Channels | |
| Kondattam Value | $72.90 per month | 113 Channels | |
| Jingxuan Value | $77.90 per month | 136 Channels | |
| Inspirasi Value | $77.90 per month | 119 Channels | |
| Kondattam Ultimate | $94.90 per month | 132 Channels | |
| Desi Ultimate | $94.90 per month | 134 Channels | |
| Jingxuan Ultimate | $99.90 per month | 155 Channels | |
| Inspirasi Ultimate | $99.90 per month | 138 Channels | |
| Action Ultimate | $89.90 per month | 121 Channels |
For Starhub subscribers, the Premier League season will be cross carried on StarHub TV.
This means that as long as you are on a plan with StarHub, you have the option to watch the Premier League on your StarHub setup box.
Do take note that the price of the plans is whatever Singtel has to offer.
So… the only legal way that you can actually get a cheaper subscription is if you paid for it with a cashback credit card and get some cash back.
That aside, how expensive is it to catch the Premier League in Singapore?
Assuming the median gross monthly income of Singaporeans at $4,437, the cheapest subscription plan of English Premier League of $49.90 is 1.4% of a Singaporean’s take-home pay.
I mean, it’s not ridiculously expensive.
But… it’s not that cheap either.
FYI: $49.90 is easily my lunch and dinner budget for 1 week.
You can see why so many people turn to online pirated streaming to catch the Premier League right?
NOT that I’m condoning it.
In fact, this is what Singaporeans have to say about a Premier League lawyer threatening to come down harder on online pirated streaming of the Premier League.
What’s the Cost Of Watching Premier League Around The World?
The impression that most of us get when it comes to watching football in Singapore.
Is that it’s a really expensive past time.
This is why we usually see people gathering at bars, McDonald’s or the neighbourhood SAFRA for big matches as most of us cannot afford the luxury of watching Premier League in the comfort of our homes.
I remember watching UEFA Champions League final at a bar, sandwiched between sweaty men in Liverpool jerseys.
While it was a truly amazing feeling to be able to catch the match.
I imagine that it would be so much better to be able to watch it at home with a couple of friends, over a dram of whiskey.
So, how expensive is watching football in Singapore?
We did a little comparison to find out:
| Country | How Much To Watch The Premier League (In SGD)? | Broadcast Right Holder |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | $49.90 per month | Singtel |
| Malaysia | $35.31 per month (RM107) | Astro |
| Hong Kong | $27.87 per month (HK$158) | PCCW |
| Australia | $14.07 per month (14.99AUD) | Optus |
| Thailand | $8.94 per month (199 Baht) | TrueVisions Group |
| Indonesia | $4.37 per month (IDR45,000) | Mola TV |
| Taiwan | $4.34 per month (NT$99) | Eleven Sports |
At least for Southeast Asia, we are paying the highest price. This might be due to our high capita income, indicating that Singaporeans can pay.
Broadcast Rights To Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League Etc.
Ever wondered who owns the broadcast rights to some of the most-watched football league and cup matches in Singapore?
| League/ Cup | Broadcast Rights Holder |
|---|---|
| Premier League | Singtel TV, StarHub TV, Mediacorp Toggle (Highlights only) |
| UEFA Champions League | beIN Sports via Singtel TV and StarHub TV |
| UEFA Europa League | beIN Sports via Singtel TV and StarHub TV |
| FA Cup | Singtel TV |
| EFL Cup | Singtel TV, StarHub TV |
| FA Community Shield | Singtel TV |
Will Singaporeans Be Able To Enjoy Lower Subscription Price For Premier League Streaming?
There are a few factors that are driving up the EPL broadcast rights of Singapore.
The main factor being Singapore is a relatively small market.
With the ageing population and the marketing becoming smaller in years to come, football fans will have to bear the cost of any price increase passed down.
Singtel is said to have paid $400 million for the EPL broadcast rights, more than 3 times of what StarHub used to be paying before that.
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