December 5 – The Premier League has agreed a new record £6.7 billion domestic television deal with Sky Sports and TNT Sports to show up to 270 live games a season, replacing the current £5 billion deal which runs until 2025.
In what is believed to be the largest sports media rights deal ever concluded in Britain, the new contract covers the period from 2025-26 to 2028-29 and underlined the Premier League’s status as the richest league in the world, with the annual figure of £1.675 billion around double the value of domestic rights in any of Germany, Spain and Italy.
Of the five live rights packages offered to broadcasters, Sky has retained the rights to four of them, with TNT snatching up the last package.
Under the deal, all games except Saturday 3pm kickoffs – designed to protect attendances in the lower leagues – will be screened live in Britain for the first time.
Sky Sports will cover the lion’s share of live matches, 215 Premier League matches each season encompassing Saturday 5.30pm kick-offs, Sunday 2pm and 4.30pm kick-offs, plus evening games on Mondays and Fridays and three midweek rounds.
TNT Sports will show 52 matches a season, including all 12.30pm kick-offs on Saturdays and two midweek match rounds.
The BBC will continue to show highlights through its Match of the Day programme, which has been running since 1964.
Amazon Prime, who show 20 matches a season under the current deal, reportedly did not bid.
“The outcome of this process underlines the strength of the Premier League and is testament to our clubs, players and managers who continue to deliver the world’s most competitive football in full stadiums, and to supporters, who create an unrivalled atmosphere every week,” said Premier League chief executive Richard Masters.
Sky will show up to 100 more matches a season, and chief executive Dana Strong said: “We are proud of our long history with the Premier League and look forward to delivering more engagement, entertainment, and innovation to the end of the decade.”
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