Saturday , April 27 2024

Premier League completes record sale of UK live rights & free-to-air highlights!

The Premier League has concluded deals with Sky Sports and TNT Sports for five UK live packages and with BBC Sport for the free-to-air highlights package. All three agreements will cover the four-year period starting Season 2025/26 and are the largest sports media rights deals ever concluded in the UK.

Sky Sports has been awarded live rights packages B, C, D and E, covering a minimum of 215 live matches per season, which will include more than 140 matches played at weekends, evening matches on Fridays and Mondays, and full coverage of three midweek match rounds. For the first time, Sky Sports will also broadcast all 10 matches on the final day of each season.

TNT Sports has been awarded live rights package A, covering 52 live matches per season, including exclusive coverage of matches played on Saturdays at 12.30pm and full coverage of two midweek match rounds.

For the first time in the UK, all matches taking place outside of the Saturday 3pm “closed period”, including those displaced to Sunday 2pm because of club participation in European competitions, will be broadcast live.

BBC awarded highlights

BBC Sport has been awarded highlights rights for all 380 Premier League matches each season, with additional digital rights for the BBC’s online platforms. The agreement will see BBC Match of the Day continue to bring Premier League action to millions of viewers each week, alongside a full range of additional programming.

The announced agreements will deliver a total of £6.7billion in revenue across the four-year period, inclusive of a four per cent increase in live rights value compared to the previous process.

‘Longstanding and valued partners’

Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to announce new deals with Sky Sports and TNT Sports that will extend our partnership for a further four years and see more Premier League matches than ever before shown live from 2025/26 onwards.

“As longstanding and valued partners, Sky Sports and TNT Sports are renowned for consistently delivering world-class coverage and programming. We have enjoyed record audiences and attendances in recent seasons, and we know that their continued innovation will drive more people to watch and follow the Premier League.

“We are also extremely pleased to extend our partnership with BBC Sport, which will continue to bring weekly highlights of all Premier League matches to the widest possible audience in the UK. Match of the Day has been an institution for generations of football fans in this country and remains incredibly popular with fans of all ages.

“The outcome of this process underlines the strength of the Premier League and is testament to our clubs, players and managers who continue to deliver the world’s most competitive football in full stadiums, and to supporters, who create an unrivalled atmosphere every week.”

Financial certainty

The broadcast renewals will provide financial certainty for clubs throughout professional football until at least 2029. In the current three-year broadcast cycle, the Premier League committed to continue its world-leading levels of support by contributing £1.6billion to communities and the wider game across England and Wales from 2022 to 2025.

Below provides details of each of the live rights packages.

Package A
Total matches: 52 (18 second picks; 14 fourth picks; all 20 matches as part of 4th and 5th midweek rounds)
Matches per club: maximum six; minimum one
Primary kick-off time: 32 matches at Saturday 12.30

Package B
Total matches: 50* (14 first picks; 18 fifth picks; approximately 6-10 rescheduled matches but not at Sunday 14.00; all 10 matches as part of 3rd midweek round)
Matches per club: maximum six; minimum one
Primary kick-off time: 32 matches at Saturday 17.30

Package C
Total matches: 66* (14 second picks; 18 fourth picks; 30-38 rescheduled matches at Sunday 14.00)
Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
Primary kick-off time: 32 matches at Sunday 14.00

Package D
Total matches: 44* (18 first picks; 13 third picks; up to two Round 37; all 10 Final Round)
Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
Kick-off times: 32 matches at Sunday 16.30

Package E
Total matches: 58 (18 third picks; 14 fifth picks; all 20 matches as part of 1st and 2nd midweek rounds; six additional matches)
Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
Kick-off times: 32 matches on Monday/Friday evenings

About Press Release

Check Also

442oons VIDEO: Everton FC 2-0 Liverpool FC – Highlights (Parody)!

I just love to watch the 442oons and their funny take on football and its …