Singapore – Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) unveiled its plans for the delivery of Barclays Premier League football from the start of the 2010 season. High-quality HD Singapore-produced programming; taking Singaporeans to the home of BPL; and engaging with the out-of-home audience will be the three core strands of SingTel’s BPL strategy. Senior executives said that an extensive consultation process with sports fans, and their experience broadcasting Football Frenzy (European soccer) had greatly influenced the programming line-up. “Viewers said that high quality production was their highest priority,” said SingTel’s vice president Pay-TV Business, Content & Media Services Group Tim Carmichael. Programming will be stripped across the week at 9pm, ranging from easily accessible round-up shows for novice fans, to in-depth analysis for die-hard BPL followers. Viewers can win all-expenses paid trips to BPL matches of their choice, and monthly live events will take broadcasts into the viewer heartlands. An extensive mobile package including streaming will also be offered. Allen Lew, SingTel’s CEO of Singapore, said that installations of mio TV set-top boxes has increased by 70 percent since the November 2009 announcement that SingTel had won the exclusive rights to BPL for three seasons from 2010. mio TV subscribers currently exceed the 100,000 mark. Lew said that key learnings from Football Frenzy have included the popularity of a round-up show; the need for a highlights morning show which for BPL will air every Sunday; and the demand for in-depth club-specific info. SingTel say this is the first time that fans will be able to see all 380 matches of the Barclays Premier League in Singapore. mio TV will also be bringing ‘home’ the production of football content to studios in Singapore, produced in HD and featuring 3D telestration. Asked about channel branding and whether ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) will be SingTel’s production partner, Lew said they are talking to a few production houses, including ESS, as well as looking at FAPL-produced content and channel.