The cost of watching football’s Uefa European Championship has risen, with Singtel announcing yesterday that the month-long tournament will be available for a one-time charge of $88 (with GST).
Viewers who wanted to follow the previous edition in 2012 had to pay only $69.55.
This year’s June 10-July 10 event will be held in France and will feature stars such as Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gareth Bale of Wales.
For Singtel customers who sign up for or renew their Trio (from $52.90 monthly), Variety (from $62.90) or Value (from $69.90) packs for 24 months from yesterday, the Euro 2016 will be available for free on up to two dedicated channels.
Those who sign up or renew their mio Stadium+ pack, including cross-carriage StarHub customers, will have access to the matches only through the Singtel TV GO app, which is free to download.
They can stream the matches directly to their television screens with the app’s Chromecast and AirPlay functions.
The opening game, one semi-final and the final will be streamed free within Singapore on the Singtel TV GO app.
Said the telco’s managing director of Home, Consumer Singapore Goh Seow Eng: “We want to share a piece of the exciting Uefa Euro 2016 action with everyone in Singapore, as it will be a bigger tournament this time with more teams competing and more matches being held.”
Eleven Sports Network announced on April 8 it had secured the Singapore broadcast rights for the prestigious quadrennial competition, which has been expanded from 16 to 24 European nations.
A total of 51 matches are scheduled – 36 group matches, eight last-16 ties, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final – compared to 31 games in Euro 2012.
Singtel had previously charged $112 as a stand-alone service for the 2014 World Cup, which had 64 matches.
For previous major tournaments like the Euro and World Cup, key games such as the opening match and the final were available on free-to-air channels and it is understood that negotiations are under way with Mediacorp.
StarHub also announced yesterday that it will broadcast all matches live on Eleven Euro HD (StarHub Ch220) and Eleven Sports Euro HD (StarHub Ch221) but did not reveal details on pricing and packaging.
Its head of media business unit Lee Soo Hui said: “We hope to reveal more details soon and ask football fans to stay patient as we make preparations to ensure the best possible viewing experience.”
This article was first published on April 22, 2016.
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