Latest research from Roy Morgan claims Optus’ pricey English Premier League (EPL) rights have paid off, with more Aussies using Optus’ services since it acquired exclusive rights three years ago.

Roy Morgan CEO, Michele Levine, claims viewers of the EPL have “definitively boosted” Optus subscriber growth in the past three years, across both fixed broadband and mobile services.

Roy Morgan’s research reveals 20.9% of Aussies now use Optus as their main mobile provider, up 1.1% from three years ago.

The gains are more prominent for Australians who watch the EPL, with Optus’ mobile usage climbing 4% to 23.8%.

Announced last week, Optus retained its exclusive EPL broadcast rights for another three years, remaining the local provider until 2022.

Back in 2015, Optus snared EPL rights away from Foxtel and Fox Sports for $63 million/per year over three years.

According to Roy Morgan, 12.2% of Australia’s population now uses Optus’ broadband service. For those who watch the EPL, the figure has jumped 4.7% to 15.5%.

Allen Lew, Optus CEO, has previously affirmed the telco’s ambitions to become a major entertainment provider, asserting good content is a key financial driver.

“Those who watch the EPL either regularly or occasionally have switched to Optus at a greater rate for both fixed broadband services and mobile phone services,” Roy Morgan’s Levine adds.

“Usage of Optus as the main mobile phone service provider has increased by 4% for EPL viewers compared to 1.1% for all Australians in the last three years”

“Similarly for fixed broadband providers usage of Optus has increased by 4.7% for EPL viewers compared to 2.9% for all Australians.”

In contrast to the previous three years, Optus has debuted a ‘Optus Sport’, which allows consumers to pay for access to sport streaming, such as the EPL.