Premier League – Information relating to games On Demand

[Optus]

We’ve had some questions from our customers relating to Premier League games that are shown on demand so we’ve pulled together some FAQ’s to help.

On-demand Premier League matches will remain on the Optus Sport platform right up until the start of the next round of fixtures. You will need a Premium Optus Sport subscription to view all available on-demand matches.

We are permitted to show up to 29 Premier League matches per club per season on-demand. The selected matches will be available to watch until the next round of matches begin. We'll let you know here which matches will be available to watch on-demand on the Optus Sport platform.
 

If you arrive after match coverage has begun but before the full time whistle, don’t worry, you will be given the option to Join Live or Play From Start. For those matches per team that are not available on-demand be aware that once full time is reached you will not be able to re-join the stream if you are behind in the action. 

If you're worried about missing a match that will not be shown on-demand, remember that if you have a Mighty or Generation 2 Fetch set top box, you'll be able to record the match so you can watch it whenever you want. 

The Fetch on-demand feature will allow you to view matches approximately 2 hours after the live match has ended; this feature is available on all versions of Fetch set top boxes. 

How does your broadcast agreement affect which games are available on demand?

Our broadcast agreement with the Premier League allows us to provide up to 29 games on demand per club per season which means that we can’t make every game available on demand every week. What’s also important to remember is the 29 games per team counts whether they’re the home or away team. For example, we made the Everton vs Crystal Palace game available on demand after round 7 which counts as one game for Everton and one for Crystal Palace (it’s not just one for Everton). This means that we need to carefully plan throughout the season to ensure we evenly distribute which teams are shown on demand and when.

How many games per round will you make available on demand?

On average we’ll make 7 to 8 games available on demand per round (each round has 10 games).

How do I know which games will be available on demand so I can plan for it?

From the Optus Sport site, select watch > upcoming and you’ll be presented with the upcoming matches for the current/next round. On most matches you’ll notice an “Available On Demand” banner. Those with the banner will be available shortly after the live match has finished and those without won’t be available on demand.

On the Optus Sport App you can follow similar instructions. Simply select the “view more” option at the bottom of the Live & Upcoming section on the home page to see the same information.

What if I miss a live match that won’t be available on demand?

Those matches that aren’t available on demand will be given priority to be replayed on the Optus Sport 1 channel throughout the following week with each of these matches being shown at least twice on replay.

An Electronic Program Guide (EPG) is available on our Yes TV by Fetch boxes and we post the Premier League schedule including replay times for those not available on demand in our blog every round.

Can I record live matches to watch later?

If you’re using Yes TV by Fetch (a Gen 2 or Mighty box), then yes you can. If you’re using the Yes TV by Fetch mini, the Optus Sport app or any other method to view the Premier League then you will not be able to record matches.

On the Gen 2 and Mighty boxes, the best way to make sure you never miss your team’s game is to set up team/ series tags. To do this go to TV > Optus Sport > Teams > select your team > set team/series tag > choose a timeframe to record before and after the broadcast begins (10-15 mins should be fine) and confirm. As long as your STB is turned on and connected to the Internet it’ll record each game live.

How long will on demand matches be available for?

On Demand matches will typically be made available within hours of the final whistle being blown until the start of the next round of fixtures.

[Drumso]

Where is the Premier League Schedule for Round 8? Might be useful for people to know in advance which games they will not be able to see on-demand. The round has started. 😞

[Drumso]

I do realise that you can see them in the App as well as on the Optus Sport page, however your posts in the blog have been outlining when, throughout the week, you'll be able to catch a replay live on Optus Sport 1. And above you state: "....we post the Premier League schedule including replay times for those not available on demand in our blog every round."

[Shauna]

@Drumso, Thanks for getting in touch with us. I can see that it looks like we haven't posted a blog update this round. My apologies for this. I'll send this feedback through. 

[johnkg]

Please fix the On Demand section in Fetch TV. There are a selection of videos at the bottom showing post match interviews including match results. The website seems OK in this regard and other videos are shown on the equivalent page - but the following is a photo of what I see using Fetch TV (which ruined this game for me):

[Aman_B]

Hey @johnkg, I've replied to your other post - Aman 

[Calm17]

Is there an issue with the on demand function when using Apple TV?

Got up this morning to watch the game delayed, selected watch from the beginning and it took me to the live stream with 3 minutes to go. Frustrating to say the least but this isn't the first time it has happened.

[Nghi]

Hey Calm17, have you raised a fault with our EPL tech team on 1800230158 about this? This isn't strictly an on-demand problem but rather a playback issue while the game is still playing live. On-demand is the replay which is uploaded after a game has already been broadcast live. Do you have the same problem when trying to start watching from beginning through our website or phone/tablet Apps? 

[GeoffreyL]

Obvious here that Optus has not thought this through. We need one section that deals with EPL, Or are we expected to waste our time trying to work out which section is looking after things. EPL tech team, On demand team, Some other team, seems the only team that works right is the pass the buck team. I can see the Ombudsman becoming even more busy very soon.

[Madsaac]

Well if a game is no "on Demand than at least have the replay earlier than 1pm! For Eg West Ham v Sunderland

Where's the common sense!!

EPL back to Fox please ASAP

Thanks

[Madsaac]

What a crappy service, EVERY game should be 'On Demand'

And if a game is not "On Demand than at least have the replay earlier than 1pm!

For Eg West Ham v Sunderland

Where's the common sense!!

EPL back to Fox please ASAP

Thanks

[Barsby]

Madsaac the on demand is regulated by the EPL not optus even fox didnt show every game on demand you had to wait for a replay some days later

[Drumso]

You guys might want to "pass feedback onto the team" again. I logged in to the Optus Sport Premier League page this morning to find an image of Arsenal players on the homepage that clearly alluded to a negative result (which was the case), and an image of Liverpool players celebrating a goal (which was also the case).

It's good that you hide the score for matches on demand, but you'll find a lot of fans also don't want to know the outcome or suggestions about the game's events before they watch it on demand.

I'd hoped you would have learnt already, especially when you were given a heads up by Johnkg in an earlier post above. Pretty disappointing.

[Shae]

Hey Drumso, thanks for passing this on to us. I'll ensure that the team are made aware so we can ensure that pictures used are more neutral in future. With any feedback of this kind, it does take a while to filter through and for us to implement. We appreciate your patience.

[johnkg]

A problem of the same kind still exists with the games on demand watched through Yes TV. News stories about the completed games are shown on the page where you start watching from. There is no way to avoid it and for the last 2 weeks I could see either the final result (yes, the score) or the implied result through the stories shown.

I complained about this last week but it still isn't fixed. Others have also pointed it out.

[Shae]

As I've mentioned above johnkg in response to Drumso's post, unfortunately we're unable to make changes to things like this overnight. We'll do what we're able to do to ensure that this feedback is heard because I believe it's a valid point that you're making and it definitely isn't the best experience when you're catching up on games you've not seen yet. 

[GeoffreyL]

Yeh it does take time, I'm guessing you'll get it fixed by about round 38, along about the same time you will lose all the customers you have for this pathetic service.

---

[johnkg]

Please also pass on that Optus should sell the other Yes TV boxes that can record to their mobile customers.

I am an Optus customer purely for EPL and so I bought a mobile SIM I never use and am a (theorical) mobile customer. As a mobile customer I'm told I cannot buy a standard "Yes TV by Fetch" or "Yes TV by Fetch Mighty" and can only rent the "Yes TV by Fetch Mini". Because Optus Sport will not work on regular Fetch TV boxes I cannot go elsewhere and buy a standard Fetch TV box from JB Hifi etc either.

Many people are being bitten by not having the games they're interested in available on demand (as well as other issues like having the results ruined by new stories). Lots of this could be solved if you'd simply sell the full sized Fetch TV boxes to your customers as they could schedule the games they're interested in to record. As it happens this would also help people avoid having to navigate the Optus On Demand section and have the results ruined.

PLEASE:

 (1) Start selling the "Yes TV by Fetch" and "Yes TV by Fetch Mighty" boxes to EPL customers (whether mobile or not). Don't ask us to rent them either. Just let us buy them.

AND/OR

 (2) Allow the Optus Sport Application from all compaitble Fetch TV boxes.

[Hollie]

I can definitely pass your feedback on @johnkg however at this point in time it's not something we can offer. You can see in advance through the App if your team's game will be available on Demand or not though and we are publishing a blog each week about which includes time frames for replays of blogs that aren't available on demand. 

[rfb]

I find it frustrating that as an Optus customer they haven't even bothered informing me how I can acrually watch the EPL.

[Dan_C]

Hey @rfb, if you're needing assistance with plan configuration or simply need a  little bit more clarification - I'd be more than happy to assist here. Let us know. 

[shankly]

Logged on to watch Crystal Palace vs Liverpool, only to find the game wasn't available. The app gave no idea why so I went to google and found this page. Ater reading this I learned only some games were on demand and that this was an EPL restriction. Ok fair enough, not Optus' fault. The games that aren't on demand are shown live and replayed on Optus 1. Great. 

Then to find the list of replays I had to go onto a blog! A blog with reviews of games and lots of scores. I squinted and tried to avoid reading any. Hopefully they were from last week. This seems a very odd way to list the TV schedule.

Then when I find the list I see the game I want to see is replayed in three days time! In order to enjoy the game I need to not know the score. Inevitably someone will tell me or I will read it online during that period. Why is the game replayed in three days time? On Foxtel I would have recorded it every week but if I missed it then I would watch it the replay the next day. Having a subset of games On Demand (OD) means you have to know in advance that you need to do something special for non-OD games that week to watch the game. At least with Foxtel I just had to consistently make sure I record it each week (same way I could easily also recod FA Cup, League Cup and European Games on the same device). 

I feel like Optus have no idea about the English Premier League, football fans or how to manage communications.

I bought an Optus SIM I dont need to watch this and I watch online or via Apple TV. I dont need the Optus fetch boxes as they arent very good and I still have Foxtel (but if you tell me I need one to see 9 of the 38 games I will buy one today).

Suggestions:

1) Put the schedule for every team (need a view by week or by team) up on the Optus App and this site, show which games are On Demand and which are by replay and when these will be available. This area should never show any scores. This would allow me to easily check and plan in advance.

2) Keep all parts of the website where you look at fixtures, on demands viewing or replays completely seperate from any kind of information that might tell or otherwise imply the score. Even if it is days after the game has happenend. I'd make them completely different sites / areas on the app and have a warning when you switch.

3) Employ somone who knows something about English Football to manage the website and app content. They would know how to split up the content and the importance of not foreshadowing the score in any way. As an Englishmen who relocated to Australia I've followed football in England for over 30 years and as an example I have never heard anyone refer to "round 10" (and no one in the UK would ever call it the EPL). Waiting 2-3 days for a replay is impractical as it's impossible to aovid the score for that long. Ever Seen "Whatever happened to the Likely Lads?" when they try to avoid the England vs Bulagaria score? I cant do that every few weeks!

4) Provide better information upfront when you sign for the package and again in the help area, explaining the difference and how to see which games are live, which OD and which via replay. Send me an update via email to lett me know the game I want to watch this week will not be OD and I willl have to wake up at 3am to watch it (which I am happy to do) or let me know if I have to buy some kind of device to catch up (and I will buy it). 

If winning the rights to show premier league games is an attempt to win customers. Then you need to understand those customers. In this case you are targeting a group of people who will do anything to watch the games (even join Optus), whose weeks are made or broken by the results and where ruining a match would be the worst imaginable customer service possible. 

[blindboy]

The Liverpool game will be on Foxtel LFC tomorrow morning at 5am which is before it becomes available here and will be broadcast at the usual, much higher, standard of Foxtel.  The restriction on games by the EPL was certainly not made clear in the Optus advertising and promotional material.   The move of the EPL to Optus is devaluing the brand in Australia due to the poor image quality, unreliability of internet speeds and the complete, mind boggling incompetence of Optus management. Their consumer services whether accessed on line or by phone are designed to prevent communication by circuitous links, unclear labelling and inadequate staffing and staff training.  If you do manage to access a human being it is very unlikely that they will solve your problem, even when they assure you it will happen.   The performance of Optus, across the board, represents a collapse of corporate standards.  

[MarkV]

Yes but....twice now in the space of 3 weeks you have selected one of the world's most popular clubs...Liverpool...as one of the games not available on Demand. Please! BUT worse...it is not available as a replay the next day; we have to wait till tuesday or is it thursday.

Your sheduling is very very poor and unacceptable; a rip off .

Not Happy

[GeoffreyL]

The previous 2 posts bring up some great points, which if they do get answered until sometime Monday, because the team responsible for a service devoted mainly to weekend sports DOES NOT WORK WEEKENDS. This is a further show of the total incompetence of Optus. I can't be bothered fighting them over their failures and out and out lies, but I can guarantee the instant my contract is up it will be bye-bye optus.

[GeoffreyL]

Can't find an edit button, But I meant to say "which if they do get answered, won't be until sometime Monday:

[Hannah-L]

Hi @shankly, thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback. I'll pass it along to our Content team on your behalf, the point you raised about the scores being mixed in with other info is a very valid one. Thanks again.

[Okaymate]

Reading all the posts resemble exactly how I feel as well as highlighting what an embarrassment Optus are. I have both the NFL gamepass app and the NBA leaguepass one and the makers of those would laugh at the amateurish nature of the Optus app. Not being able to watch ALL games on demand is a joke as is the fact that the results are spoilt when you try to login. That's just basic knowledge, you don't do that.

Surely the EPL wouldn't be happy with how their product is being presented in Australia. The best thing we can do is all leave Optus as soon as we can, either when the contract is up or by getting out of it with the help of the Telecommunication Ombudsman and hope that Optus give up the rights and FOXTEL take it back. 

Even if they dont you're better off getting Foxtel who have countered Optus by buying the rights to the tv channels of the big clubs in Europe. You can't watch EPL games live but you can watch the replays a lot earlier (2-24 hours after the game) as opposed to 3 days later.  You can also obviously record the game.  This is a solution for supporters of the big clubs but unfortunately FOXTEL doesn't have the rights to the smaller clubs. 

[UberXDaddy1]

Can't believe the response @shankly got just basic patronisation. If I had a customer in my business who took the time to give me detailed feedback on my service, I would ring him to thank him or her and take all the feedback on board.. I totally agree with all the points raised and can't wait for Optus to get out of the EPL or go broke on it. The damage it is doing to your brand by providing such a poor service to some of the most passionate sports fans in the world cannot be worth the extra customers yopu get from having the monopoly. Please Optus sell the rights to someone who understands the EPL before it becomes terminal for you.

[Dan_C]

Hey @UberXdaddy, it's not our intention at all to sound patronising. I can assure you that our Yes Crowd forums are monitored by our TV and content teams. We've definitely made changes in response to customer feedback, i.e. Chromecast support, plan/pricing, EPL blog fixtures/on demand updates ect. 

We aren't always able to give as detailed response as we'd like to - simply due to the number & nature of enquiries we receive. We will however always endeavour to respond to all customer feedback that we feel will improve the experience for subscribers. 

[blindboy]

Wow Dan that's great news!  I mean it is clear from the comments that the only way to improve the experience is fir you to relinquish the rights to Foxtel.  So when does it happen?  And just incidentally, I know I'm suspicious, but why did the four day password I received today suddenly not work after I posted a critical comment?  Seems like business as usual to me!

[Dan_C]

Hey @blindboy, I really don't have anything to add to the top portion of your post. We're still working hard on making the experience consistent across the board. Was your last comment in reference to the EPL registration code? I can assure that there's nothing sinister going on behind the scenes. Dan 

[Subversion13]

It has certainly been an interesting weekend and hopefully Optus will learn from it.

I guess some of the frustration comes from people feeling that the service they have at present is inferior to what they are used to and this is a real issue. Optus are bound by their rights agreement with the Premier League, so the restrictions in On Demand content are not their fault, but boy oh boy, they could be so much cleverer with their scheduling of games not On Demand. 

The key selling point of the product is convenience, heck the company's slogan is "Yes", but I think at present, Optus have not come to terms with the expectations of a committed, but demanding audience. People, like myself have switched over to Optus to access the product and while they are really trying, the fact that there were so many complaints on various forums about the Liverpool match this weekend shows that communication is not what it could be. Admittedly, I have been able to find the information I needed, but I had to go to several different places to get that info. For example, go to the Optus Sport app to see what's On Demand, then either the forum or the Fetch mini EPG to look for replay times. To offer a first replay of the match during business hours two days later is a nonsenical move and suggests the much-referred-to Content Team do not really understand the product they are promoting, if they did, they would be smarter about it.

They are trying and I think the moderators do a decent job here in being courteous in the face of fierce criticism (with some admittedly generic replies), but I honestly think the powers-that-be underestimated the demands of audiences in 2016/17. I use several streaming services - Optus Sport, Netflix, Presto, WWE Network, Kodi and Optus is clearly not up to the standard of the others (mind you, Presto gives it a run for its money). They listened to feedback and added Chromecast, but again, the quality of VOD content is simply not up to scratch - it may have been five years ago, but not now. I can watch each of the above streaming services on my TV at top standard, the same cannot be said of the VOD content through Optus Sport which lags way, way, way behind the excellent live feed on the Fetch Mini. If this is a way of enticing customers to take up a fixed broadband deal with the Fetch Mighty boxes, then that's really cynical and doesn't foster goodwill. If it's more genuine, then it's not good enough.

I appreciate the listening and the diligence, I really do, but people don't want to troubleshoot, they don't want to phone the Content Team and we shouldn't have to adjust the settings on our TV to make casting run smoothly.

There is such potential in this product, but the delivery thus far has been underwhelming and where there needs to be a show of goodwill, they mess customers around through poor scheduling and lack of communication.

[johnkg]

Well said @Subversion13. We are now 10 rounds into the League and it would be nice to see some actual changes rather than just being told the feedback is being passed on. If the changes take time then be upfront about it and write an official public update addressing the issues you are aware of and are addressing. If the changes are taking time then provide a timeframe.

[dwightkiosk]

How convenient that all of your marketing collateral neglected to mention "76% OF ALL GAMES ON DEMAND"

Misleading and deceptive conduct. 

[Marie]

Really sorry to hear you feel this way dwightkiosk 😞

We do list on our website that up to 290 games a season will be available On Demand.

We also have a list of these matches via the Optus Sports App either under Matches or if you click on the game in Fixtures.

We only have access to 290 of the 380 games to show On Demand as part of the agreement with the EPL. 

[blindboy]

So Dan if nothing nefarious is going on that leaves the usual Optus incompetence and inability to establish systems that function consistently as the only other possible explanation.......yeh you're right, it was always the most likely candidate.

[Goonwolf]

Why can't I view this mornings Everton V Brighton match in full replay? It was advertised as available "on demand" but is only available as a 20 minute "mini match".

The full match replays are the entire reason I pay for this service.

[Tano]

Hey @Goodwolf, there's a bit of a delay getting those matches online today, the Everton v Brighton game is definitely locked in for On Demand though, it should be online soon.