Sky have dominated the Premier League broadcasting arena since the league's inception in 1992, and this deal for TV rights is their most expensive ever at £760m over the next three seasons.
According to The Drum:
Despite Sky's stranglehold on British football, many industry experts had predicted Qatari giant Al-jazeera ( as well as rumours about Google and Apple) to compete for ESPN's share - but BT has surprised everyone with its bid-money bid. It seems the increase of £1.25bn was simply too much for American broadcaster ESPN.The three-year deal comes into effect from the start of the 2013 season and will see Sky pay £760m-a-year to show 116 Premier League matches a season. The huge deal represents a massive windfall for the league and a huge increase on the previous £1.78bn package.
"We made a strong bid that reflected the value of the rights to our business, and we thank the Premier League for the chance to participate," said an ESPN spokesman.
British Telecom were pleased with their purchase: "BT is already investing 2.5 billion pounds in fibre broadband. Securing Premier League rights fits naturally with this as consumers increasingly want to buy their broadband and entertainment services from a single provider," said BT Chief Executive Ian Livingston.
The Financial Times says:
Although there was a rise in available live matches from 138 to 154, the total of £3.02bn for the rights to the three seasons starting in 2013-14 took Premier League executives by surprise. BSkyB and ESPN are paying £1.8bn for their current three-year deal. BSkyB’s 116 matches will cost it £2.3bn, £700m more than it is paying for its current 115-match deal. BT’s two packages of 38 matches, which includes 18 first-choice picks out of the 38 most attractive live matches, will cost it £740m.
"We welcome BT as a new Premier League broadcast partner," said Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.
"They are a substantial British company that is at the leading edge of technology and infrastructure development."
He said BT would "deliver new ways in which fans will be able to follow the competition".
"I was as surprised as anybody - there was a bit of a gasp in the room when we read out the number," he said.
English football's crown jewel is still incredulously lucrative and apparently recession-proof, and with separate TV rights still being negotiated to overseas broadcasters in the Far East, the value of the brand has never been higher. The Premier League currently generates an additional £1.3bn pounds from overseas TV deals.
"By December we will know where are internationally. Some of our international markets could be soft," said Scudamore.
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