Australian sports streaming startup Sports Flick has vanished from the web as its founder faces allegations of fraud.
The website for the streaming service – which raised eyebrows earlier this year when it bid $80.4 million AUD for the rights to the UEFA Champions League, having previously served up niche offerings such as Serbian rugby league, Indian baseball, and European handball – has at time of writing disappeared, leading only to an error page; its social media accounts, while still up, are inactive.
A selection of titles spruiked on the now-archived Sports Flick website.
The site’s founder, Western Sydney-based Dylan Azzopardi, is according to the Sydney Morning Herald under investigation over allegations of fraud brought by two major investors, SBS Sport head Dominic Galati and ex-National Soccer League coach Berti Mariani; NSW Police confirmed to the Herald that an investigation was in progress, but did not offer details.
According to the Herald’s report, Galati and Mariani allege Azzopardi misused $2.5 million meant to pay the company in charge of international rights to the Rugby League World Cup, instead spending it for personal use. Azzopardi has denied any wrongdoing.
Sports Flick, launched in 2020, offered monthly subscriptions for $14.99, with an annual subscription for $99.99.
