Amazon has taken its first step into live football broadcasting after winning the UK rights to show 20 Premier League matches for each of the three seasons from 2019-20 to 2021-22.
And BT Sport has joined Amazon Prime Video by acquiring one of the two remaining UK rights packages on offer.
A total of seven deals have been negotiated by the Premier League. In February, Sky Sports paid £3.58bn for four rights packages. BT Sport spent £295m on its first package.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
In a statement released today, Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore said: “We are extremely pleased that Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon have invested in these rights and all view the Premier League and our clubs as vital parts of their live sports offerings.
“Sky and BT are established Premier League partners and provide first-rate coverage of the competition through their live-match broadcasts and comprehensive programming.
“We welcome Amazon as an exciting new partner and we know Prime Video will provide an excellent service on which fans can consume the Premier League.”
Amazon Prime Video’s deal: how it works
The tech giant has acquired Package F, a three-season deal that will see Amazon Prime Video broadcast 20 Premier League games from one full bank holiday schedule and one round of midweek matches. The cost of Amazon’s rights package has not been disclosed.
According to the BBC, it will be “the first time a full round of Premier League fixtures will be broadcast in the UK”.
In November, Amazon announced it was producing a multi-episode behind-the-scenes documentary series with champions Manchester City. The online streaming service has also won rights deals to show the US Open tennis, NFL matches and ATP World Tour Tennis events.
A membership for Amazon Prime currently costs £5.99 a month, and the company has said that the Premier League coverage will come at “no extra cost”.
BT Sport spends £90m on second package
After spending £295m for Package A, consisting of 32 matches at 12.30pm on Saturdays, BT has also snapped up a further 20 matches though Package G. Costing £90m, BT Sport’s second package includes the rights to broadcast several fixtures from the split weekend, a new initiative that will create an opportunity for a mid-season player break, says the Premier League.
How the rights packages break down
According to a Premier League statement, a total of 200 live matches will be shown per season for three years in the UK. The 2019-22 rights are split into seven packages.
Sky Sports: 128 matches per season (four packages)
- Package B: 32 matches at 5.30pm on Saturdays
- Package C: 24 matches at 2pm on Sundays and eight matches at 7.45pm on Saturdays
- Package D: 32 matches at 4.30pm on Sundays
- Package E: 24 matches at 8pm on Mondays or 7.30pm/8pm on Fridays, and eight matches at 2pm on Sundays
BT Sport: 52 matches per season (two packages)
- Package A: 32 matches at 12.30pm on Saturdays
- Package G: 20 matches from two midweek fixture programmes and five matches from the split weekend
Amazon Prime Video: 20 matches (one package)
- Package F: 20 matches per season from one bank holiday and one midweek fixture programme
