Optus wins UEFA rights despite World Cup struggle
August 3, 2018
Australia’s Optus has won the rights to broadcast the UEFA Champions League not long after it was heavily criticised for its botched coverage of the World Cup.
The broadcaster said it would screen all Champions League matches for the next three years, as well as the UEFA Europa League and the UEFASuper Cup. It comes after Optus in June relinquished its exclusive rights to some World Cup matches to SBS amid complaints about ongoing streaming glitches.
The company said in its statement on Friday that the Optus Sport streaming service would remain free until the end of the August – an offer initially extended to fans as a “goodwill gesture” at the height of the World Cup streaming controversy. It had also offered refunds to fans who had purchased its streaming service to watch the World Cup at the time.