Telstra has announced a significant change to its live sports steaming strategy in a move that will see customers now needing a subscription to Kayo so they can continue watching LIVE AFL and NRL action on mobile devices.
At an announcement today, Telstra confirmed it would expand its sports streaming offering for customers through a long-term partnership with Kayo Sports.
The new streaming plan via Kayo will replace the existing Telstra Live Pass subscription plans for the AFL Live App and NRL Official App which the telco had previously provided free to eligible mobile customers.
Under the new arrangement, Telstra is offering eligible customers who have previously used the NRL and AFL Live Passes a $20/month discount off Kayo’s Basic subscription (usually $25/month) for 12 months providing them with Kayo for just $5/month for 12 months.
The change comes after the NRL renegotiated its broadcast contract with Nine and Foxtel last year. Under the renegotiated deal Nine and Foxtel gained rights extensions to the NRL until 2027. However, Telstra was cut out of new contract leaving it unable to provide LIVE NRL directly to its Live Pass subscribers.
The new deal must be redeemed by 31 May 2021. To be eligible, customers must have previouslly redeemed a Telstra AFL or NRL Live Pass service prior to 22 Dec 2020 and maintained that active Telstra service used to redeem it.
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Eligible users will receive details of the offer via direct communication from Telstra with instructions on how to take up the offer through Telstra.
Telstra has advised there is no change to Live Pass for the Netball Live Official App or MyFootballLive App as a result of this announcement.
This exclusive offer gives Telstra Live Pass customers access to every game of every round of the AFL and NRL regular seasons (including the Finals Series in the lead up to the AFL and NRL Grand Finals), and also 50 premier local and international sports live and on-demand, across multiple devices and screens.
All other Telstra consumer customers have access to a offer of $10/month off Kayo’s Basic subscription for 12 months (equates to Kayo Basic $15/month for 12 months). More information here: http://hub.telstra.com.au/kayo
Telstra CEO Andrew Penn said the partnership with Kayo would give Live Pass users access to Australia’s best sports streaming service at amazing value.
“We laid the foundation for sports streaming in Australia with Live Pass back in 2012. Today, video streaming of content is everywhere. How and where viewers consume their content and their expectations have changed greatly in this time.
“We have always been committed to delivering fans the best experience possible across our range of products and services, and sports is a key part of our strategy and offering. While Live Pass has provided a great experience for our customers over time, Kayo has quickly become the premium sports streaming service in Australia, and we’re excited to provide this exclusive offer to our customers, giving them the chance to watch a wider range of sports on their choice of screen.
“We’re proud to support the AFL and NRL and will continue working with them and our other partners to leverage the latest innovation and technology to offer their fans and our customers the best entertainment experience possible at the game, at home, on the bus, or anywhere our network takes you.”
Patrick Delany, Foxtel Group CEO said:
“We have a great long-term relationship with Telstra and as our company’s strategies evolve, we are finding new ways to work together. We have created a great product in Kayo, streaming 50 sports live including the AFL and NRL action, it’s exciting for Kayo to be endorsed for Live Pass customers by Telstra.”
Since its inception, the Telstra Live Pass – which gave fans unprecedented access to live sport on-the-go thanks to the rise of smartphones and rapidly improving mobile internet – helped grow a community of sports lovers keen to see every minute of the action in and out of their homes.
By 2020 the number of subscribers had surpassed over three million, streaming hundreds of millions of minutes of action per year from apps developed by Telstra on behalf of its sporting partners.
The AFL Live App and NRL Official App will remain powered by Telstra, and still be the home of all the other features subscribers know and love, including match replays, live scores, highlights, stats, and other great features on the AFL, AFLW and NRL apps.
