Singapore – StarHub has confirmed that it has submitted a bid for the broadcast rights of the Barclays Premier League (BPL) for the 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons. StarHub has been providing BPL coverage to football fans in Singapore since 1997. The infocomms provider is presently offering ‘live’ broadcasts of the current 2009/10 season of BPL on its pay TV, mobile and online platforms on an exclusive basis. Announcement came forty-five minutes after rival telco SingTel announced its intention to bid for the EPL soccer. The last three-year cycle of EPL soccer was picked up by StarHub for an estimated $250 million, making Singapore the second most lucrative international market for EPL soccer, behind Hong Kong. Analysts have gone so far as to predict a winning bid of $400 million in Singapore for the 2010-2012 seasons. A widely-anticipated EPL bidding war between SingTel and StarHub prompted government agency Media Development Authority (MDA) to commission an independent study into content exclusivity in the island-state. MDA’s study is believed to have been prompted by fears of the cost impact on viewers, who have seen costs for EPL soccer double at the start of every three-year cycle.