How Rupert Murdoch Changed Sports Media Forever
Riding its popularity, the Premier League is offering more to broadcasters as new media negotiations loom.
The U.K. league is preparing to offer an additional 60 live games to broadcasters in its next domestic rights deal, according to the Telegraph — which means that 260 of the league’s 380 games per season would be broadcast live, up from the current 200.
However, there are no indications that the league will get rid of its “3 p.m. Saturday blackout” rule which dictates that no games be broadcast live between 2:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. local time on Saturdays.
The potential move comes at the perfect time for the league, as the Prem’s media rights are as valuable as ever.
Sky Sports, BT Sport (rebranding to TNT Sport this summer), and Amazon Prime Video hold the league’s domestic rights for a collective $6 billion for the three-year cycle ending with the 2024-25 season. Sky holds the largest chunk, with rights to 128 matches.
The league’s international rights reached $6.3 billion for this cycle, topping the domestic haul for the first time.
Of the total sum from media rights, $2 billion is distributed to lower-tier leagues, while the bulk goes to the Premier League’s 20 clubs.
Negotiations for the following three years are expected to begin later this year.
