BT and Sky pay £4.464bn for Premier League rights deals

BT and Sky have paid £4.464billion between them for five of the seven Premier League rights packages for three seasons of matches from 2019.

Sky have won four of the seven available packages that were up for sale, increasing its live games from 126 to 128 per season from the 2019-2020 campaign.

The deal will permit Sky to broadcast games on Fridays, Saturday tea-time, Sundays and Mondays. They have also won the rights to eight Saturday evening games, the first time games will be played at that time.

BT have agreed rights to one package of 32 games for the Saturday lunchtime slot.

Premier League Executive Chairman Richard Scudamore said: “We are extremely pleased that BT and Sky continue to view the Premier League and our clubs as such an important part of their offering. Both broadcasters are fantastic partners for the Premier League and have a track record of making our competition available to fans across the country through their high-quality and innovative programming.

“To have achieved this investment with two packages of live rights remaining to sell is an outcome that is testament to the excellent football competition delivered by the clubs. It provides them with certainty and will underpin their continued efforts to put on the most compelling football, invest sustainably in all areas, and use their popularity and reach to have a positive impact on the sport and beyond.

“We will now continue the sales process to deliver the best possible outcome for the remaining packages of rights in the UK and throughout the rest of the world.”

There are still two broadcast rights packages available with a number of interested bidders.

Amazon are rumoured to be interested in acquiring the rights to Premier League football, which would be a first for the game.