Sky and BT secure Premier League rights for over £5bn

Sky and BT have paid a whopping £5.13bn to win the rights to broadcast Premier League matches in the UK from the 2016-17 to the 2018-19 season.

The 168 games available per season, 14 more than the last time the rights were auctioned off, were split into seven packages, with Sky securing five and BT clinching the remaining two.

“This outcome provides a degree of certainty so clubs can continue to invest and run themselves in a sustainable manner; it also allows us to start planning how the Premier League can continue to support the rest of the football pyramid from the grassroots upwards,” the Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“This structure also allows us to strike a balance between match-attending fans and those who choose to watch on television. Keeping grounds full is a priority for the Premier League and our clubs, and I am sure the flexible ticketing policies that have helped keep attendances so high will continue to develop.

“Although we have had a successful outcome for this process, following on from the highlights’ award, there is still the ongoing Ofcom investigation to be concluded. We remain confident that the Premier League’s live UK broadcasting rights are sold in a way that is compatible with both UK and EU competition law as well as being of great benefit to the whole of English football.”

Sky will pay £4.17bn under the terms of the new agreement, and BT £960m, with the former set to pay £1.39bn per year for each of the three years of the new agreement, which represents an 83% increase over the cost of the existing contract.

Under the previous deal Sky paid £2.3bn for 116 matches, while BT forked out £738m for 38 games per season,as the two broadcasters went head-to-head and drove a 70% rise on the previous contract.

BT, which will have exclusive rights to the Champions League from next season, will lose its early Saturday kick-off to Sky but will show the 5.30pm kick-off on the same day.

“I am pleased we will be showing Premier League football for a further three years and that we have secured the prime Saturday evening slot," said John Petter, chief executive of BT Consumer.

"These new rights will enhance our existing schedule of football, rugby and other international sport, including all the live footballing action from the Champions and Europa Leagues starting this summer.”

Sky will show Friday night games, which will feature for the first time in the Premier League from the 2016-17 campaign, and has retained its Sunday afternoon and Monday night slots, showing live coverage of every Premier League club at least four times a season.

"This is a good result and confirms that Sky is the unrivalled choice for sports fans. We went into the Premier League auction with a clear objective and are pleased to have secured the rights that we wanted," said Jeremy Darroch, Sky's chief executive.

"Our strong performance across the board gives us financial strength and flexibility. We have a clear plan to absorb the cost of the new Premier League deal while delivering our financial plans."