Orange introduces Premier League and HBO to Flemish customers, but Telenet says it can't

Telecommunications operator Orange has announced that it will bring HBO series and the Premier League to Flanders via Be TV from December. The expanded offer is the result of Orange's acquisition of Walloon cable operator VOO, which already offers this content to its customers.

The VOOsport World package costs 15 euros a month and includes three channels carrying foreign sports, including the Premier League. By offering the package to its Flemish customers, Orange will be in direct competition with cable operator Telenet - VOO's Flemish counterpart - which owns the rights to the English Premier League for Belgium. According to an Orange spokesperson, the existing licensing agreement between Telenet and VOO allows this.

However, Telenet denies that Orange is allowed to broadcast Premier League matches in Flanders.

The VOOsport World package includes other European football competitions, such as the German Bundesliga, the Europa League and the Conference League. It also includes tennis, basketball, golf and American football.

Game of Thrones

Orange is also bringing VOO's Be TV offer with exclusive series and films to Flanders for 25 euros a month. This package includes seven channels on the Orange TV box and a streaming app.

Be TV offers series from the US television network HBO. These include popular fiction series such as Game of Thrones, Succession and The Last Of Us. In Flanders, HBO programmes are already available via the streaming platform Streamz, a cooperation between Telenet and media group DPG Media.

Last month, HBO's parent company Warner Bros Discovery announced that it would launch its own streaming service, Max, in Belgium in 2024. It is not yet clear what this will mean for Streamz and Be TV's HBO offering.

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