Optus makes English Premier League available to fans via Apple TV

Optus has today confirmed it’s developed an app that will provide access to the English Premier League for owners of the Apple TV.

A spokesperson for Optus has confirmed to DeciderTV that the telco will launch the EPL app for owners of the latest generation Apple TV device.  Football fans will need to be subscribers to an eligible Optus plan use the app.

At this stage its unclear if Optus intends to develop further apps for other devices such as Game Consoles or Smart TV’s.

Optus has secured exclusive live coverage to the next three seasons of the competition. However fans have been left unhappy at having to subscribe to an Optus mobile or broadband plan in order to gain access to the coverage.

Questions also remain regarding the picture quality that Optus will provide to football fans.

A spokesperson for Optus has confirmed to DeciderTV that Optus Home Broadband customers should be able to view the games on TV in HD using a Fetch set-top box or AppleTV, however Optus is unable to guarantee HD quality due to Internet bandwidth limitations in some areas.

The spokesperson indicated Optus customers unhappy with picture quality delivered over Optus Internet might be able to upgrade to a HD satellite option for an additional $20 per month.

As well as the English Premier League, Optus has secured rights to the entire FIFA World Cup tournament, including 39 exclusive live matches. SBS has retained simulcast rights to 25 World Cup Games.