The Premier League is set to air on a brand new TV channel as of next season following a set of changes at BT Sport after their takeover by Warner Bros Discovery last September. The American company look set to make a host of changes in the summer, which looks set to rearrange the number of channels currently used as well as a potential merger with another.
BT has shown Premier League matches since 2013, broadcasting 52 live games for the current 2022/23 season, with their TV rights deal running until 2025. According to the Daily Mail, changes are set to merge BT Sport with Eurosport - also owned by Warner Bros Discovery - with plans to add all their live sports together.
A holding company has been set up called Warner Brothers Discovery Sport, which is likely to feature in new channels’ branding and a rebranding for BT Sport. It remains to be seen how that will possibly change the subscription package currently being offered for the service.
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However, it comes during a time of great debate surrounding how TV rights work in the United Kingdom specifically when it comes to football coverage. The Premier League is currently split up between being shown live on Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime, with subscriptions required for each.
That costs the average person in the hundreds of pounds for the year, questioning the accessibility of the division to those who wish to view it, especially with the ongoing cost of living crisis. Adding to that is the current 3pm Saturday blackout that is currently in place, preventing matches being shown in the UK that are available to watch in other regions.
These factors may have led to the increase in illegal streaming, which the police are attempting to crackdown on with recent reported raids on houses to discourage them. It remains to be seen if that will happen though as questions continue over the accessibility and availability of football.
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