Financial News
- 15 June 2012, 9:32
Premier League Unveils New TV Rights Deal
The Premier League have sold the domestic broadcast rights from 2013-16 for £3.018bn, with BSkyB and BT the two winners.
Sky have bought five of the seven available packages for the seasons 2013/14 to 2015/16, totalling 116 matches per year.
BT have acquired the rights for 38 matches per season but their package includes 18 of the 38 first-choice picks.
The new deal is worth a remarkable £1.254bn more than the current one, which is shared between Sky and ESPN.
Premier League Chief executive Richard Scudamore said the thrilling climax to last season, when Manchester City won the title in injury time on the last day, contributed to the increase.
"We have just come off the back of a fantastic season and it has been good for us," Scudamore said.
"We went to the market at the right time.
"It was a very competitive process which if you are selling is a very good thing."
Sky will pay £760m a year for the five packages of live rights for each of the three years of the new Premier League agreement.
Jeremy Darroch, Sky's chief executive, said: "This is a good result for our customers and for our business.
"It means that Sky Sports remains the home of Premier League football and that viewers will continue to enjoy our live and exclusive coverage until at least 2016."
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, added: "The Premier League has never been more popular with our customers, so it's excellent news that Sky Sports viewers will continue to enjoy the biggest and best games, including Super Sunday and Monday Night Football."
Sky will also show games on Saturday evenings. The total of 116 per season is one more than it will broadcast in 2012-13, the last year of the current deal.
In the last auction process, for 2010-11 to 2012-13, Sky bought five of six packages of live domestic TV rights for £1.623bn. The other package was acquired by Irish-based Setanta.
what do you think?
Joan Burgess
Its not about football these days, it just a big money business.
Alan Green
let sky have all the sports and give us our soaps back on tuesdays and wed.
Lorgar Aurelian
How about you pay for your soaps and the football is free? Far better to get that rubbish off our screens.
David Francis
Football is the most expensive sedative on the market - if you want to watch exciting sport on tv, switch to Eurosport and watch some motorcycle racing. Even MotoGP is better than any football match and the competitors are tough enough to last more than 5 minutes before rolling around on the ground with some pathetic 'injury' - some will ride and compete even if they have to be carried to their bike because they cannot even walk! Footballers - bunch of wimps.
Jeffrey Gwynn
Spot on, David.
West Middlesex MCC
4:46pm on 13/6/2012
when will the fans who have paid their TV Licence subs get a chance to watch premier League Football on normal TV without having to pay extra...sick to death of all the greed that this sport has created.
David Bennett
6:13pm on 13/6/2012
premier football without the cash would be piss poor and you would not want to watch it.........better yet go buy a season ticket and go support your local team.
West Middlesex MCC
6:21pm on 13/6/2012
David.. .these players earn far to much money, that is why it costs so much to buy the TV Rights. It is now out of control. Top flight players earn more in ONE week than I can earn in 10 Years and you think I should go and spend my hard earned paying to watch the game live. no thanks I can live without it but would like value for money when i switch on my TV. ps.. I cancelled my SKY Sports when they started charging to watch the England Matches which I feel should be on National TV Free to view.