Are Optus Sport the next goliath in Australian sports broadcasting? 

The broadcaster announced today that Mark Schwarzer will line up alongside Michael Bridges in their "state-of-the-art" World Cup coverage.

The two English Premier League veterans will join Richard Bayliss, Mel McLaughlin and Jules Breach on the commentary couches and from the stands, as Optus Sport seeks to prove they can handle the pinnacle of Australian football.

Optus is the only platform showing all 64 tournament matches live and have committed to five hours of original programming per-day, a package that rivals any other broadcaster around the world.  

It's a big deal for the burgeoning broadcaster, and one that's supposed to showcase the network as a genuine player in Australian sports broadcasting. 

While SBS will maintain rights to Socceroos matches and 25 games in total, it appears Optus are aiming to dominate the Australian football landscape, one step at a time. In competition with SBS and Foxsports, Optus may end up fighting a war of hearts and minds. 

Foxsports maintain the rights to Australia's domestic and confederational competitions, while SBS are still gripping onto the hearts and minds (plus a bit of Champions League).

But in a world without Johnny Warren and Les Murray, it appears everything is up for grabs and quality, will likely, be king. Optus' Managing Director of Marketing and Product, Ben White, said it will be the best World Cup coverage Aussies have ever-seen. 

“The 2018 FIFA World Cup is one of the largest sporting events in the world and we’re delighted to be working with our analyst team to deliver the most comprehensive coverage of a World Cup ever seen in Australia, with state-of-the-art coverage, content and insights into each and every match played," he said. 

"Optus will have three on-air teams based in Russia and will produce a prime time show leading into each match day, along with full match coverage and two morning shows to wrap up each matchday and concluding with Red Square:Live.

“This is a significant step for Optus as we continue to become a mobile-led multimedia company and a broadcaster, and we’re thrilled to welcome this team together for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and are really excited about the diverse range of experiences and specialities they each bring to the role.”