Current PL TV rights deal to continue until 2025

[robfosters]

So nothing will change viewing wise with the PL for another 4 years at least.

Government issued an exclusion order meaning that the usual auction process that takes place under fair competition law, could be avoided this time round, and the current deal could just be renewed.

there were fears that the pandemic could drive prices down too much if it went to auction.

It’s to be expected I suppose, as the PL doesn’t want to take a potential revenue hit, especially at this time, but it’s a missed opportunity for punters. A new auction could have seen the new boys on the scene like Amazon and DAZN really shaking up the market and making it more affordable to fans. There were strong rumours that DAZN were very interested in launching a bid for UK rights. I believe they already hold the rights in a few other countries

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57098432

 

[chrcoluk]

Yep a eye opener, whilst its good the clubs arent facing a sudden financial crisis, it seems dodgy, that they can open it when they expecting a rise, but then fix it at existing price when the market suits a drop.

Its already been proven however that splitting games over more providers wont save fans money, Sky/BT wont drop their prices if they have less games. Amazon I know is inclusive on prime but not sure if would be the same if they had more then a handful of games.

 

[BaZ87]

Splitting up the games was only ever intended to create more revenue for the league, at the expense of supporters.

I hope we see riots outside Sky, BT & the PL's studios, creating a closed shop without any competition, preventing the likes of DAZN from realising their dream

 

[robfosters]

Splitting up the games was only ever intended to create more revenue for the league, at the expense of supporters.

I hope we see riots outside Sky, BT & the PL's studios, creating a closed shop without any competition, preventing the likes of DAZN from realising their dream

I get what you’re doing there.

you have a point. The PL have no qualms about a closed shop approach when it benefits them.

 

[BaZ87]

Not directly related to the PL but reports just coming out that Amazon have taken the plunge and won the rights for the majority of Ligue 1 games from next season.

Some people questioned just how serious Amazon were about getting involved in football, speculating that they were happy taking 2 cheap rounds of PL fixtures over the Christmas period as their main objective was to get Prime sign-ups during the busiest shopping period of the year. To outbid beIN & Canal+ in France puts that idea to bed. If it goes well then the PL tv rights could be in for another big increase in 3 years time.

 

[HangTime]

it seems dodgy, that they can open it when they expecting a rise, but then fix it at existing price when the market suits a drop

It's not that dodgy to fix the price though, because ultimately nobody is forcing Sky/BT/Amazon to renew at the same price, they could've walked away and said "uh-uh, gravy train is over pal, you can put that back on the market and see how much you get" if they felt it was overpriced compared to market value.

 

[CliffyG]

I don't want Sky to lose the rights. I watch loads of games after they've started as my wife works shifts and we watch them together. The ability to record sky and bt games is such a useful feature which I won't be able to do with streaming services.

 

[robfosters]

I don't want Sky to lose the rights. I watch loads of games after they've started as my wife works shifts and we watch them together. The ability to record sky and bt games is such a useful feature which I won't be able to do with streaming services.

Amazon let you watch games from the start or live

 

[CliffyG]

Do they? I didn't notice that on their games before. What happens if the game is actually finished?

 

[robfosters]

Do they? I didn't notice that on their games before. What happens if the game is actually finished?

Not sure about that one.

I wouldn’t worry, gonna be a long time before sky lose the rights imo.

 

[BaZ87]

Who knows Rob. Amazon have just taken the plunge and secured the bulk of the TV rights for Ligue 1, DAZN have got the rights to Serie A - if Amazon or one of the big tech companies decide they really want to win the rights then I'm not sure Sky can compete. And then you have the prospect of the PL cutting the middle man out altogether. It's very possible that we might see the PL launch something overseas in the next few seasons and if that's successful then they'll replicate it across all markets.

Do they? I didn't notice that on their games before. What happens if the game is actually finished?

They're available on demand to watch in full as and when you please, along with highlights packages, the option to watch individual key moments (goals etc) and interviews. When it comes to watching the games after the event, Amazon is far better than watching a Sky recording.

I've not subbed to DAZN for the boxing but from what I understand it's similar with them and I'd imagine with most decent streaming platforms.

 

[Tombstone]

I'm fine with Sky having the rights, they are one of the VERY few channels who do sport right (though I was also impressed with Amazons coverage)...just as long as the football doesnt fall into the hands of BBC or ITV (both of whose coverage, presentation and punditry is generally poor) I'm fine

 

[robfosters]

Who knows Rob. Amazon have just taken the plunge and secured the bulk of the TV rights for Ligue 1, DAZN have got the rights to Serie A - if Amazon or one of the big tech companies decide they really want to win the rights then I'm not sure Sky can compete. And then you have the prospect of the PL cutting the middle man out altogether. It's very possible that we might see the PL launch something overseas in the next few seasons and if that's successful then they'll replicate it across all markets.

They're available on demand to watch in full as and when you please, along with highlights packages, the option to watch individual key moments (goals etc) and interviews. When it comes to watching the games after the event, Amazon is far better than watching a Sky recording.

I've not subbed to DAZN for the boxing but from what I understand it's similar with them and I'd imagine with most decent streaming platforms.

DAZN is excellent. I don’t know what their streaming tech is but the picture is second to none. Better than sky HD. And the streams are instant. Quicker than changing tv channels.

 

[HangTime]

you have the prospect of the PL cutting the middle man out altogether.

This is possible and one shouldn't overlook the additional value they might glean from building their own customer base. It won't just be about flogging subscriptions and PAYG, they will want to harvest your info and pitch other products to you like promotional tie-ins with clubs (e.g. flog you XYZ based on the team you support) etc.

The challenge of course will be their relative lack of experience in broadcast media, even Amazon which might have seemed a 'weird' entry into the market of course already had a huge streaming presence. They might even find it costs so much to put on themselves that they are better off leaving it to the experts, it wouldn't surprise me if some of the big players treat PL football almost like a loss leader in terms of attracting punters and then selling them other services. The only reason I got Sky TV in the first place was so I could have Sky Sports, first and foremost for the football.

 

[Rroff]

Something I found with Amazon's coverage - the camera/action angles, colour grading and motion clarity at least for me was a step above the normal coverage for football which made it more enjoyable to watch, bitrate/resolution could have been a touch better but well above some providers. So wouldn't be against Amazon getting more coverage unless/until they start taking advantage of it to wring more money out of consumers.

 

[BaZ87]

This is possible and one shouldn't overlook the additional value they might glean from building their own customer base. It won't just be about flogging subscriptions and PAYG, they will want to harvest your info and pitch other products to you like promotional tie-ins with clubs (e.g. flog you XYZ based on the team you support) etc.

The challenge of course will be their relative lack of experience in broadcast media, even Amazon which might have seemed a 'weird' entry into the market of course already had a huge streaming presence. They might even find it costs so much to put on themselves that they are better off leaving it to the experts, it wouldn't surprise me if some of the big players treat PL football almost like a loss leader in terms of attracting punters and then selling them other services. The only reason I got Sky TV in the first place was so I could have Sky Sports, first and foremost for the football.

Obviously not a huge amount but the PL do have some experience with Premier League Productions which offers off the shelf broadcasts for some overseas markets but I agree, unless there's a huge financial uplift then they'll rather leave it to a traditional broadcaster or at least let an Amazon, Netflix or whoever else take all the risk and deal with all the hassle.

The possible financial gains are huge though and not just for clubs but for fans too. Below's a little video explaining the possible numbers involved:

Even at half that £24bn per season figure, that's a massive increase on what the League's earning now and it really wouldn't surprise me if the League trial it in some overseas territories in the next few seasons. We've already seen a number of broadcasters backout of deals they've signed with football leagues and the PL will currently be trying to renegotiate their overseas deals for the 2022/23-2024/25 cycle - it's very possible that in some markets the PL will struggle to get the value they want so maybe they'll give it a go themselves.

 

[HangTime]

I guess the key thing now is we are the tipping point where [most of] the public is comfortable with the concept of online streaming, and internet connections are generally capable now, which removes the traditional barrier to entry of needing cable/satellite infrastructure. So this opens up the prospect of selling directly to the consumer rather than leveraging telecomms company. They obviously would need their own backend, but I'm sure there are plenty of white-label offerings out there they could leverage.

 

[MissChief]

Obviously not a huge amount but the PL do have some experience with Premier League Productions which offers off the shelf broadcasts for some overseas markets but I agree, unless there's a huge financial uplift then they'll rather leave it to a traditional broadcaster or at least let an Amazon, Netflix or whoever else take all the risk and deal with all the hassle.

The possible financial gains are huge though and not just for clubs but for fans too. Below's a little video explaining the possible numbers involved:

Even at half that £24bn per season figure, that's a massive increase on what the League's earning now and it really wouldn't surprise me if the League trial it in some overseas territories in the next few seasons. We've already seen a number of broadcasters backout of deals they've signed with football leagues and the PL will currently be trying to renegotiate their overseas deals for the 2022/23-2024/25 cycle - it's very possible that in some markets the PL will struggle to get the value they want so maybe they'll give it a go themselves.

I'm sure it's something they're looking at, but they seem happy with the income just now and with the new deals they've signed recently it doesn't look like happening any time soon.

Most people still want to watch on a big screen TV on a comfy Sofa rather than on a laptop or tablet. Unless the PL can get buy in from Sky, Virgin etc to have this app on their STB's and the Smart TV manufacturers to have the app built into their TV's I reckon it'll be a non-starter. Not to mention the lack of decent broadband in some countries and in parts of the UK also. There are still some in towns and cities getting less than 10Mbps.

 

[BaZ87]

I'm sure it's something they're looking at, but they seem happy with the income just now and with the new deals they've signed recently it doesn't look like happening any time soon.

Most people still want to watch on a big screen TV on a comfy Sofa rather than on a laptop or tablet. Unless the PL can get buy in from Sky, Virgin etc to have this app on their STB's and the Smart TV manufacturers to have the app built into their TV's I reckon it'll be a non-starter. Not to mention the lack of decent broadband in some countries and in parts of the UK also. There are still some in towns and cities getting less than 10Mbps.

The broadband issue is, according to everything I've read and listened to, the only thing that's delaying this and why your Amazon's of this world have been fairly slow in taking more live sport. I don't buy this "watching on a laptop or tablet" arguement - before the PL would launch this service they'll make sure they have agreements in place with every major TV manufacturer and most, if not all the big set-top box suppliers. With DAZN and Amazon both taking all or most of Serie A & Ligue 1, we're going to see whether the tech is ready to handle streaming 10 games every weekend for an entire season.

Unfortunately, the UK is the last place we'll see the PL launch their own service though. For them to make as much as they're making from Sky, BT & Amazon, they'll need to charge us just as much as Sky are. Based on some very loose calculations, they'd need to charge £25 per month (assuming the same number of subs as Sky & BT get) just to create the same revenue as they're getting now but with the additional costs, they'll likely need to charge £30-35 to be not worse off and £40+ to be any better off. Overseas the potential is far bigger and we just have to hope that when this happens (and I'm sure it will, sooner or later) that they're bringing so much in from the overseas markets that it's not worth the bar PR charging us 5x as much.

 

[BaZ87]

I believe I mentioned this in the boxing thread some months back but it looks like DAZN are close to buying BT Sports:

https://www.ft.com/content/8c0ffe51-3fee-4cd6-88ab-54401e62dada