Sky and BT pay £5.1 BILLION to Premier League rights

Sky Sports and BT Sport have been announced as the UK rights holders for 2016-17 to 2018-19.

Sky and BT have unbelievably paid 70% more for the TV rights! Out of 168 games Sky have taken the main of the action with games for a new Friday slot, Saturday lunchtimes, Sundays and Monday night. BT have two packages.

Premier League boss Richard Scudamore refused to speak out or give details of these payments. He also indicated that overseas rights have not been sold yet.

“Burnley are bigger economically than Ajax, which says a lot about how our league is made up. Part of our product is to keep the stadia full. Clubs will have to address ticket prices to make sure the stadia remain full. Maybe there will be increased hard work for the clubs.” – Richard Scudamore

Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s Group Chief Executive, said: “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.

“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.”

“We are looking forward to bringing even more live Premier League football to viewers. Only Sky Sports will have the best match picks and the best slots so our viewers will be able to follow the biggest matches, the key head to heads and every club at least four times. No other broadcaster comes close. The best Premier League coverage is part of an unrivalled range of sport across our seven channels and digital platforms. This new deal follows our recent success in the rights market, ensuring Sky Sports will be the first choice for years to come.” – Managing Director, Sky Sports, Barney Francis