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The Premier League season is off and running, but soccer leaders in the U.K. are setting their sights on increasing a key revenue driver for future campaigns.
Under its current four-year cycle ending in 2025, the EPL is bringing in more than $6 billion from its domestic media rights deals. Negotiations for the next cycle — 2025-29 — could begin before the start of 2024, according to the Financial Times.
EPL games are currently broadcast in the U.K. on Sky Sports, TNT Sports (a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery formerly known as BT Sport), and Amazon Prime Video.
Tempered Expectations
But while the English league continues to attract the best soccer players in the world, it may not see a drastic increase in domestic media rights payments akin to the double-digit percentage bump the NFL recently saw for its main broadcast package, which is worth more than $100 billion over the life of the deals.
One EPL club executive said, “If we came 5% ahead I’d be delighted, because it’s a slowing rights market.”
Once the main driver of revenue for the EPL, domestic media rights now comprise slightly less value than the league’s international media deals with partners like NBC in the U.S. In total, the U.K. and international deals will bring in nearly $13 billion from 2022-25.
When bidding begins, the EPL will seek payment increases from its current partners and potentially hear offers from DAZN.
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