'We weren't willing to overpay for Champions League', but Optus' Clive Dickens backs football to drive customer gains - and subscription aggregation play for slice of $4bn market

Optus is backing football (the big game, not the Australian version) to keep delivering customer growth and retention, particularly amongst immigrant Australians – but VP of Product Development for TV and Content, Clive Dickens, says Nine overpaid for the Champions League. He also has a dig at the naysayers at Seven who didn’t think 7plus could be delivered in nine months – including some of his staff, who subsequently left the building. While BVOD is booming, Dickens says display advertising will continue to “hit the floor” and publishers that can make subscription revenue pay will be those left standing. Which is why Optus aims to take a slice of what it forecasts will soon be a $4bn market with an aggregation play. The former SCA and Seven digital supremo thinks SubHub will help set Optus apart from big dog Telstra and the pack of hungry mobile virtual operators trying to nip its heels. But he’s not committing to numbers just yet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.