Premier League launches 'Premflix'-style streaming app, direct to consumer

Chief executive says he will find out if Singapore trial is ‘replicable elsewhere’

Eberechi Eze celebrates in front of the cameras

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

The Premier League is set to launch its own streaming service next season in Singapore.

Users of the Premier League Plus app will be able to watch all 380 matches on the platform, rather than going through various broadcasters.

The league's chief executive Richard Masters announced the news on Thursday, following years of speculation that a move towards a 'Premflix'-style service could be on the cards.

For now the service will only be available in Singapore and it will not impact existing deals with broadcasters.

However, Masters did indicate it may be replicated around the world if it proves to be a success.

"For the first time, we’re going direct-to-consumer in Singapore," Masters said 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."

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters

Getty Images

Starting from next season, the Premier League's international content will be produced from Olympia in west London.

A new state-of-the-art facility has been created as the league moves on from its long-standing relationship with IMG.

There are no plans for an imminent change to how the Premier League is available to fans in the UK.

The current domestic rights deal runs through to 2029 for Sky Sports and TNT Sports and is valued at £6.7billion.

The move in Singapore next season follows other major sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA and MLB, in going direct to the consumer.

Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 also followed that model in the summer, moving onto a subscription platform run by the Ligue de Football Professionnel.