Huge New Premier League TV Deal Will Send Ripples Across The Globe

Huge New Premier League TV Deal Will Send Ripples Across The Globe
16:49, 09 Feb 2018

At some point over the next few days, the Premier League will learn more about what its financial future holds. That sounds significant because it is significant. The prosperity and wealth of England’s top flight is intrinsically linked with the TV deal it has with broadcasters around the world, and the most lucrative of those - the domestic one currently held by BT Sport and Sky Sports - is up for tender.

The seven packages broadcast rights are cut into have been out for tender since September, but it’s widely believed that negotiations will come to a head over the weekend and into early next week if bidding enters a second round. At present, the domestic TV rights contract is worth an astonishing £5.1 billion. The reason Premier League clubs can outbid and outspend the rest of European football is primarily because of this deal.

However, in the time since that contract was agreed three years ago, Premier League viewing figures have slumped. Fans’ consumption habits are changing, with the desire for live sporting events no longer as intense as it once was. This has been felt right the way across the sporting world.

The true impact of this will become apparent when the Premier League’s new broadcast deal is agreed. If BT Sport and Sky Sports are the sole bidders then there will surely be a dip in the value of the contract, particularly because the rights arm’s race that once existed between the two rivals has cooled of late.

There’s only one thing that could keep the Premier League TV rights bubble from popping - the introduction of the internet giants to the fray. It’s long been speculated that the likes of Amazon, Google, Facebook and Netflix could make a play for Premier League rights, with Amazon already entering the live sports market with deals for ATP tennis and Thursday night games in the NFL.

Indeed, many expect Amazon to make a bid for at least one of the Premier League packages up for offer, although the others might not be ready to enter the battle just yet. Nevertheless, even one newcomer could keep the contract’s price high, securing a better deal for the Premier League’s 20 member clubs.

There’s a lot riding on this. Football is now a sport dictated by money and the majority of that money, at least at Premier League, comes from the lucrative broadcast deals struck. Whatever Richard Scuadmore agrees over the next few days will have a serious ripple-effect, not just across England’s top flight, but across the European game as a whole. 

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