Premier League TV rights: Sky and BT spend £4.4bn on five packages

The Premier League has announced that five packages for the 2019-2022 UK TV broadcast rights have been sold for £4.464bn.

Sky and BT have renewed deals to show live Premier League matches after purchasing five of the seven packages on offer. Two packages remain to be sold, says the Premier League, with “interest from multiple bidders”.

Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore said: “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.”

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Sky and BT: about the deals

Sky has extended its Premier League rights deal until 2022 and will show “more matches than ever before”. The four packages will show 128 games a season on its dedicated Sky Sports Premier League channel, including Saturday evening fixtures for the first time.

BT Sport has also extended its deal until 2022. Next season the broadcaster will continue to show games at 5.30pm on a Saturday. However, from August 2019 BT coverage will move to the Saturday lunchtime match slot.

How the media has reacted

Following last night’s announcement, the Daily Mail reports that the Premier League has suffered a “significant drop in TV rights income”. Charles Sale writes: “The £4.46bn paid by Sky and BT for three seasons starting in 2019-20 compares to £5.1bn from the existing deal, although the two minor packages of midweek games remain unsold. The fall of more than £500m over three years is in contrast to the 70 per cent rise in the last tender.

“Sky has picked up the four best packages out of seven in the auction and all the first picks for every weekend for £3.6bn. This works out at £9.3m a game, down from £11m in the current contract.

“BT Sport won just the one Saturday lunchtime package for which they have paid £295m a season. The 32 games cost £9.2m each, a big increase on the £7.6m per game they currently pay.”

Premier League TV packages explained

Package A: bought by BT Sport

• Total matches: 32 (20 second picks, 12 fifth picks)
• Matches per club: maximum six; minimum one
• Kick-off times: 32 matches on Saturday at 12.30pm

Package B: bought by Sky Sports

• Total matches: 32 (15 first picks, five third picks, 12 fifth picks)
• Matches per club: maximum six; minimum one
• Kick-off times: 32 matches on Saturday at 5.30pm

Package C: bought by Sky Sports

• Total matches: 32 (14 second picks; 18 fourth picks)
• Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
• Kick-off times: 24 matches on Sunday at 2pm and eight matches on Saturday at 7.45pm

Package D: bought by Sky Sports

• Total matches: 32 (19 first picks; seven third picks; six fourth picks)
• Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
• Kick-off times: 32 matches on Sunday at 4.30pm

Package E: bought by Sky Sports

• Total matches: 32 (22 third picks; 10 fourth picks)
• Matches per club: maximum five; minimum none
• Kick-off times: 24 matches on Monday at 8pm or Friday at 7.30pm/8pm and eight matches on Sunday at 2pm

What packages are left to sell?

Two packages remain to be sold and the Premier League says there is interest from multiple bidders.

Package F

• Total matches: 20
• Matches per club: maximum two; minimum two
• Kick-off times: all 20 matches from one Bank Holiday and one midweek fixture programme

Package G

• Total matches: 20
• Matches per club: maximum two; minimum two
• Kick-off times: all 20 matches from two midweek fixture programmes

What about UK Premier League highlights?

In January the Premier League announced that the BBC had spent £211.5m to acquire the rights to broadcast highlights of all 380 Premier League from 2019 to 2022. A statement said: “Under the agreement BBC Sport will continue to broadcast its iconic Match of the Day show on Saturday nights, and the range of additional BBC programming that brings the Premier League closer to fans, including Match of the Day 2, Match of the Day Extra, MOTD Kickabout, Football Focus, Final Score and the Premier League Show.”