The English Premier League has announced that it has agreed in principle to roll over its £5 billion ($7B) deal with Sky, Amazon, and BT Sport for UK rights to the prestigious soccer competition.
The deal, which has been endorsed by the UK government to ward off an antitrust investigation, means that Sky, Amazon, and BT Sport will continue to broadcast the Premier League live until 2025. The BBC will also continue to show non-live highlights on Match Of The Day.
Rolling over the contracts means that the rights have not been put up for auction, preventing new entrants from bidding. There were reports that DAZN, the streamer run by former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, was interested in bidding after it recently beat Sky to Serie A rights in Italy.
There were concerns that an auction would have resulted in a deal valued at less than the £5B achieved in 2018, which would have been problematic for Premier League clubs after their matchday revenue has taken a huge hit during the coronavirus pandemic.
Premier League CEO Richard Masters said: “We are hugely appreciative of the Government agreeing in principle to allow this arrangement and for their continued support for the Premier League and the English game. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on football, and renewals with our UK broadcast partners will reduce uncertainty, generate stability and promote confidence within the football pyramid.”
Key to securing government approval was a Premier League commitment to increase its £1.5B of funding for lower league clubs by £100 million over the next four years. The Premier League said this will provide “support to areas of the football community particularly vulnerable to the impacts of coronavirus.”
In a statement, Alex Green, managing director of Prime Video Sport Europe, said: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to continue our partnership with the Premier League and deliver our unique coverage of 20 matches per season to millions of UK Prime members for the next four seasons.
“We have already delivered 50 live and exclusive Premier League matches for our Prime members, which they’ve told us they love. The number of Prime members watching Premier League football on Prime Video increased during our second season in 2020/21 and we’re confident that this will continue to grow.”
Stephen van Rooyen, Sky UK and Europe CEO, said: “We are proud to have been part of the success of the Premier League from the very beginning and we have worked hard this year to provide support through the challenges of the pandemic and prove the enduring strength and depth of our partnership. As well as being great news for our customers, the proposed renewal will support the whole football pyramid and give much needed stability and certainty.”
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