Premier League Could Solve Australia’s Football Rivalries

Live coverage of the Premier League clash between Manchester⁢ city and Tottenham on saturday is expected to break audience records, following the competition’s debut on Australian commercial television with Channel Nine. Last‍ week’s Aston Villa v Newcastle match reached close to 900,000 viewers, after Optus Sport handed the rights to Nine and Stan Sport. The match out-rated Seven’s⁣ movie The Martian ⁣and was within 300,000 viewers of an NRL clash. The live audience on Stan was ⁣also the largest for any football broadcast on⁤ the platform.

Former premier League and Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich noted a “resurgence” in interest⁢ due to increased⁤ visibility, and highlighted a move away from “petty conflict” between football codes. Bosnich will promote the City v Spurs match live⁣ from Melbourne’s Federation Square during Nine’s NRL coverage. While some rugby league media have criticised Nine’s prioritisation of the Premier League, Bosnich believes ⁤Australian sports fans have cross-code interests. This Saturday’s game is anticipated ⁣to outperform the first week due to the⁤ involvement of title contenders City‍ and Spurs.