Under the agreement, Singtel will have the exclusive media rights across its mobile, Internet and mio TV platforms.   Singtel plans to stream UEFA Champions League games both ‘live’ and on-demand on mio TV, and the Internet through the IDEAS portal (www.ideas.singtel.com).  It will also offer clips on its mobile service.

 

Mr Allen Lew, Singtel’s CEO Singapore, said: “Singtel is very excited that we have won the coveted rights to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup 2009-2012.   mio TV is an integral part of the services that Singtel provides, and what drives pay TV take-up is the quality of content.

 

“Based on our research, sport is a key genre that drives pay TV take-up, and European soccer is a significant driver for people who subscribe to sport content.”

 

He added: “The UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup are premier European club competitions.   And because they feature the top soccer clubs from the UK, Italy and other major European nations, this content is highly popular among the locals and expatriates alike.”

 

Commenting on the award of the media rights in Singapore to Singtel, UEFA said: “We are excited at the prospect of working with a new partner in the form of Singtel.   The commitment they have made to acquire the media rights is evidence of the tremendous popularity of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup in Singapore.”

 

As the UEFA games are played in Europe, due to the time difference, local football fans usually have to stay up till the wee hours of the morning just to catch the games.   With mio TV’s on-demand feature, fans no longer have to lose sleep just to watch their favourite teams in action.

 

“The flexible mio platform has the unique capability of offering video-on-demand and Singtel’s extensive mobile and broadband customer base allows us to package this content in an innovative way that will certainly excite the public in Singapore,” Mr Lew said.