Premier League Returns to Free-to-Air with Channel Nine

Football fans will soon be able to watch the Premier League on free-to-air television again, with Channel Nine set to launch primetime coverage of the competition.

For the first time since SBS aired matches in 2019, the Premier League will be back on Australian FTA screens, starting with Aston Villa v Newcastle United on Saturday, 16 August, at 9:30pm.

As confirmed by Daany Saeed on X, Nine will air one game from the first three weeks on FTA, all on Saturday nights, per Capital Brief.

There is no confirmation of any more games being shown on free-to-air outside of the first three gameweeks.

The move comes after Nine secured the Australian broadcast rights to the Premier League and FA Cup from Optus Sport in a deal announced on 30 June.

All matches will be streamed on Nine’s subscription platform Stan Sport, which will exclusively carry every game of the 2025–26 season, with some fixtures available in 4K ultra-high definition, a first for Premier League coverage in Australia.

Nine plans to air select matches in primetime on its free-to-air channel as part of a push to promote Stan Sport’s coverage. The agreement also includes rights to the UEFA Women’s Euro, Japan’s J.League and the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League.

Nine chief executive Matt Stanton spoke about the huge difference this will make for Australians watching football.

“This marks a step change in Nine’s digital growth strategy,” he said via press release.

“The Premier League is the most watched football league on the planet, and alongside the Emirates FA Cup, this acquisition reinforces Nine’s position as the home of sport in Australia.

“We are proud to deliver these iconic competitions to Australian audiences through Stan Sport. The full power of Nine will be activated to bring new attention and energy to the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup.

“With more than 20 million Australians engaging with Nine’s platforms every month, we have an unrivalled ability to generate excitement at scale, drive audience growth and deliver meaningful commercial outcomes for our partners.”

For Australian football fans, this marks a long-awaited return of the Premier League to free-to-air TV, offering easier access to some of the world’s best football.

With Nine’s primetime coverage and Stan Sport’s full-season streaming, the game is set to reach more fans than ever before by also having the European competitions under the same subscription.

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How Musco Lighting is Transforming the Game

Lighting quality, uniformity, and control are three of the most important elements a football venue must master. Done well, they elevate the standard of play, enhance the fan experience, and ensure world-class broadcasts. 

Modern football demands more than just traditional floodlights. From community fields to elite stadiums, facilities need solutions that combine performance, efficiency, and reliability.

Musco Lighting believes their systems, which are engineered LED technologies, modular mini-pitch packages, and advanced control platforms are the key to achieving these goals.

Musco’s “Projects Made Simple” approach offers complete, tailored lighting solutions designed for every level of the game. Central to this is Total Light Control for LED, a system that provides precise light distribution while reducing glare and minimising environmental spill.

Complementing Total Light Control for LED is Musco’s Mini-Pitch System, developed in the U.S. Soccer Foundation. These compact, all-in-one facilities combine fencing, goals, benches, storage, and integrated lighting, transforming underused spaces into safe, vibrant football environments.

Features of Musco’s lighting include; uniform illumination across the pitch, therefore eliminating dark zones; advanced glare reduction, which ensures comfort for players, spectators and surrounding areas of the pitch; and smart monitoring, which allows operators to remotely control and schedule the lighting. The lighting company also uses sustainable practices with the ability to have energy savings of up to 60%. 

Musco’s systems have already been used by some of the biggest names in football.

At Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC, the installation of Musco’s SportsCluster Green LED system has been transformative according to Arsenal’s Stadium and Facilities Director, John Beattie.

“It is important for both players and fans alike that we have top-quality lighting for the club’s evening fixtures and Musco’s new floodlights provide just that.” he said. 

AFC Bournemouth faced the challenge of upgrading their facilities following promotion to the Premier League in 2015 but Club General Manager Liz Finney said the company’s product was crucial.

“We needed to install a new pitch lighting system to meet the requirements of both the club and the Premier League in a fairly short space of time. Musco delivered on all counts.” Finney said. 

Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Audi Field in Washington D.C. have reported improved player visibility, enhanced broadcast quality, and major energy savings following their adoption of Musco’s technology.

Australia’s football landscape presents unique challenges. Facilities often serve multiple sports, grassroots participation is rapidly expanding, and professional leagues increasingly demand higher broadcast standards.

Musco’s systems offer important benefits to help with this development, these include mini-pitch installations, which could expand access to safe well lit spaces in urban areas, which would help to support grassroots growth.

Another benefit could be that elite stadiums could meet higher broadcast standards to match international scale games. Finally, using Musco would create energy savings and have a reduced environmental aspect.

Musco’s football lighting solutions are much more than a technical upgrade, they also represent a shift in how football is played, viewed, and experienced. By pairing innovation with reliability, they support the game from grassroots fields to international arenas.

As Australia looks to strengthen its football infrastructure, Musco’s proven effective technology could help bridge the gap between community play and world-class competition.

Overall, the use of Musco Lighting systems could greatly improve football in Australia, whether you are playing or watching the game.

Just for Kicks: A 1993 NSL Cup throwback with Doug Hodgson and Brian Macnicol

In Episode 2 of Soccerscene’s Just for Kicks Podcast, which released this past Saturday, two former Heidelberg United greats shared their memories of the club’s famous 1993 NSL Cup triumph ahead of a massive Australia Cup final between Newcastle Jets and Heidelberg United.

Host Theo Athans sat down with Dougie Hodgson and Brian MacNicol to revisit a golden era of Australian football and preview Heidelberg’s huge Australia Cup final clash with the Newcastle Jets at Lakeside Stadium this Saturday.

Hodgson and MacNicol recalled joining Heidelberg in the early 1990s when the NSL was fiercely competitive and derby clashes with South Melbourne and Melbourne Croatia drew massive crowds on live SBS coverage.

(Left) Doug Hodgson and (Right) Brian Macnicol. Image Credit: Soccerscene

However it was the 1993 NSL Cup win, which was the club’s first at the time, that was the main topic of the discussion.

Both Macnicol and Hodgson were asked about seven fellow 1993 NSL Cup teammates and late former president Peter Tsaklis where they gave an insight on how each of their personalities played a part in a crazy year for the club and also revealed some funny stories about their playing days including the fun they had off the pitch.

The historic run in 1993 started against South Melbourne over two legs where they won 7-4 on aggregate. Hodgson and Macnicol discussed how it was facing the ‘super team’ at the time with the likes of Durakovic, Trimboli, Boutsianis and Steve Blair just to name a few. Wins against Adelaide City and Parramatta Eagles sealed the club’s first national trophy.

Both former champions also discussed their predictions of the huge Australia Cup finals clash coming up this weekend with both predicting Heidelberg to continue what has been an extraordinary run and secure the cup.

Click hear the full interview with Brian Macnicol & Doug Hodgson, on Episode 2 of Soccerscene’s Just for Kicks Podcast – available on all major podcasting platforms.

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