Now Anyone Can Watch Telstra’s AFL Coverage On Mobile


Telstra went to war last year with Optus over its TV Now platform, saying that the product was allowing people to get access to Telstra’s exclusive football (AFL and NRL) coverage just minutes after it went to air. That, according to the court, was copyright infringement, and so TV Now was shut down. Months after the TVNow judgment, however, Telstra has now announced that any customer on any carrier — even Optus — can get access to its AFL broadcasts via mobile or tablet. That has to sting.

Telstra is allowing anyone to view its AFL games — which it still pays quite a bit of money for — via the 2013 AFL Live Official App now available for smartphones and tablets. Previously, only Telstra customers were able to get access to streaming AFL games via the BigPond Sport portal.

Of course, it’s not going to be free. Telstra is charging $14.99 for a monthly pass or $89.99 for a season pass to the 2013 NAB Cup. Each subscription gets you access to a range of stats and commentary, as well as live games whenever they’re available, on-demand match replays, access to a 24-hour AFL channel and multiple device subscription porting.

The added perk on this package is that, if you’re a Telstra 3G or 4G customer, the AFL games will stream unmetered for you.

Image: Flying Cloud, CC2.0