Broadcasters welcome Premier League broadcast renewal

Broadcasters wth Premier League broadcast deals have welcomed the news that the division is set to renew its rights deals without an auction.

The Premier League released a statement on Thursday revealing that it had an agreement ‘in principle’ with the government to go ahead with the renewals, and is now awaiting final approval to avoid competition laws through an Exclusion Order under the Competition Act 1998.

Government support appears to have been won by offering an extra £100 million in solidarity payments to women’s and girls’ football, lower divisions, and the Football Foundation, as well as convincing it of the disruption caused by Covid-19.

Current live and non-live rights holders Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC Sport have all welcomed the agreement, which will cover the three seasons from 2022/23 to 2024/25.

Sky, which has the rights to the most matches, CEO, UK & Europe, Stephen van Rooyen, said: “We are proud to have been part of the success of the Premier League from the very beginning and we have worked hard this year to provide support through the challenges of the pandemic and prove the enduring strength and depth of our partnership. As well as being great news for our customers, the proposed renewal will support the whole football pyramid and give much needed stability and certainty.”

BT consumer division CEO, Marc Allera, concurred: “Throughout this difficult year the Premier League and broadcasters have all worked together to find pro-active solutions to ensure the Premier League, and the lower leagues, have a safe and secure way out of the pandemic. 

“This in-principle renewal of our broadcast rights is great for our viewers, but also helps to provide vital support for the broader football community that relies on the Premier League.

“The fantastic news for our viewers is that, once the deal is concluded, they can continue to enjoy the Premier League alongside the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League exclusively live on BT Sport.”

Alex Green, Amazon Prime Video Sport Europe managing director, added: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to continue our partnership with the Premier League and deliver our unique coverage of 20 matches per season to millions of UK Prime members for the next four seasons. 

“We have already delivered 50 live and exclusive Premier League matches for our Prime members, which they’ve told us they love. The number of Prime members watching Premier League football on Prime Video increased during our second season in 2020/21 and we’re confident that this will continue to grow.”

Finally, non-live rights holders BBC Sport’s director, Barbara Slater, said: “We very much welcome this agreement in principle from the Premier League. As longstanding partners we’ve worked with the Premier League during difficult times and none more so than in the last year. We believe the certainty that the renewal would bring for both football and our TV audiences in the UK would be of huge benefit as we emerge slowly from the coronavirus pandemic.”

It is unknown how other broadcasters may feel on the matter, with the likes of DAZN and Disney possibly disappointed that they will not be able to win rights in the usual auction format.

One possible avenue to Premier League rights that is still open may be to invest in BT Sport, which is selling a stake in itself. DAZN, Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and ITV have all been linked with taking a piece of the broadcaster, which may allow them to pick up Premier League, Champions League, and Europa League rights.