Sky was the major winner as the Premier League confirmed a whopping new broadcast deal worth £6.7billion.
Under the new agreement, which kicks in from the 2025-26 season, Sky will show a record number of at least 215 matches each season.
The broadcaster won four of the five available packages in the four-year deal, with TNT Sports claiming the fifth and the BBC continuing its deal to show highlights on Match of the Day.
The Premier League called Tuesday’s agreement, which will see their annual revenue from domestic rights grow by four per cent, the “largest sports media rights deal ever concluded in the UK” and said it would “provide financial certainty for clubs throughout professional football until at least 2029”.
For the first time, all 10 matches will be live on Sky on the final day of the Premier League season, and while the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout has been retained, the broadcaster will also be allowed to show multiple matches simultaneously during the 2pm kick-off window on Sundays. At present, only one game is shown live.
Last weekend, viewers missed out on watching Liverpool’s thrilling 4-3 win over Fulham and Chelsea’s 3-2 triumph against Brighton because West Ham’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace was the featured game.
“This is a fantastic result for Sky customers, who will see a significant increase in the number of matches from the most iconic league in the world,” Dana Strong, group chief executive of Sky, 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.”
TNT Sports’ package gives the broadcaster the rights to Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off each weekend, as well as two rounds of midweek fixtures. Amazon, which currently streams 20 matches per season, did not pick up any rights, meaning all games will remain with traditional television broadcasters.
It had been suggested that other streaming platforms, such as DAZN, would look to enter the domestic rights market.
“As long-standing and valued partners, Sky Sports and TNT Sports are renowned for consistently delivering world-class coverage and programming,” Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said. “We are also extremely pleased to extend our partnership with BBC Sport, which will continue to bring weekly highlights of all matches to the widest possible audience in the UK.”
