Singapore football fans are resigned to paying more for the broadcast of this year's European Championship than the 2012 edition.
StarHub yesterday announced it will offer an early bird price of $78 (with GST) for the month-long tournament from June 10 to July 10. The discount is valid from May 16-27, after which customers will have to pay the regular price, $88 (with GST).
That is the price that Singtel, which announced its subscription plans last month, will charge, although it has bundled the June 3-26 Copa America as part of the deal.
Viewers who wanted to follow Euro 2012 had to pay only $69.55 (the early bird price was $58.85). It cost $10.70 (early bird) and $21.40 for the 2008 competition.
Senior sales executive Thomas Yeo, 36, said: "I will not subscribe as I find that it's too expensive. Normally, if I want to catch up on the action, I look for highlights online.
"I'm still used to the old pricing, where you only had to top up $12-$15 to your subscription to watch the whole tournament."
This year, the number of games has increased to 51 from the 31 in Euro 2012 with the expansion from a 16- to a 24-team tournament.
With more matches on offer, civil servant Mohammad Ariff Zainol, 35, was willing to stomach the price increase. He said: "The prices are okay but I have not decided if I will be subscribing yet. I am willing to pay as long as the prices don't hit three figures. I consider it affordable if the prices stay as they are."
A total of three matches (the opening match, one semi-final and the final) will be made available to all StarHub TV customers via a free preview of Eleven Euro HD. An HD set-top box is required to view the channel.
The free preview will also be available to all Singapore viewers through StarHub Go, allowing anyone to watch the three matches on smart devices using the StarHub Go app.
New and existing StarHub customers do not need to pay to watch the tournament if they take up its Sports Group package for two years at $21.40 (with GST) per month.
•Additional reporting by Ng Keng Gene
