English Premier League to launch direct-to-consumer streaming service in S'pore, 1st in the world

The Premier League will launch its own direct-to-consumer streaming platform in Singapore ahead of the 2026/27 season, marking the first time the competition will offer live matches directly to fans rather than solely through third-party broadcasters.

The new service, branded Premier League Plus, was announced by chief executive Richard Masters at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit in London on Thursday (Feb. 26).

First move into direct-to-fan broadcasting

For decades, the Premier League has relied on domestic and international broadcast partners, including Sky Sports in the UK, NBC in the United States and StarHub in Singapore, to distribute its matches.

While those traditional agreements will remain central to its business model, the Singapore initiative represents a significant strategic shift.

Masters said the league would, for the first time, have a direct commercial relationship with viewers.

“We’re going to be having our own customers — I think that’s the big change,” he said.

The move means the Premier League will take on responsibilities typically handled by broadcasters, such as marketing, pricing, subscriber retention and distribution, according to the Financial Times (FT).

Masters described the step as both a business opportunity and a learning exercise.

Singapore chosen as test market

The streaming platform has been developed in partnership with StarHub, the league’s existing broadcast rights holder in Singapore.

Rather than replacing conventional media deals, the Singapore rollout is being positioned as a trial to assess whether a direct-to-consumer model could be expanded to other territories.

Masters indicated that the league would study the service’s performance closely before considering replication elsewhere, according to ESPN Singapore.

 "It's a very long, considered process, carefully chosen.

“If it goes well, it may be replicated. You don't want to predict further than that I think at this stage."

The new app is also expected to provide live coverage of all 380 matches in a season and operate as a round-the-clock digital service, reported The Guardian.

August 2026 rollout

The Premier League has signed a six-year agreement with StarHub, a spokesperson told Mothership, with both parties set to collaborate on the rollout of a new direct-to-consumer offering, Premier League Plus.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the service, formerly referred to as “Premflix”, is slated to launch from August 2026, in line with the start of the new season.

In response to queries from Mothership, StarHub described the initiative as a “collaborative trial” with the league.

“The introduction of Premier League Plus complements our existing coverage and enhances the overall experience available to fans on StarHub’s platforms,” the company said.

The telco added that discussions remain ongoing and that, as the project is still in its early stages, details such as pricing and rollout timelines have yet to be finalised.

StarHub stressed that fans will continue to enjoy live matches on its platforms as they do today. It added that there are no changes to its existing Premier League packages arising from the announcement.

Top image via Arsenal/Facebook.