Sky, TNT win domestic Premier League rights for $8.45 billion

Sky Sports and TNT Sports have renewed packages to broadcast the Premier League rights in the United Kingdom on a four-year deal. In total, the duo will have live broadcasts of 270 games each season from 2025/26 through 2028/29. Reports indicate the total Sky Sports and TNT are paying is just shy of $8.5 billion. That makes it the biggest rights deal in the history of UK television.

Sky will have the majority of the games. It agreed to four packages of games that will deliver a minimum of 215 live broadcasts of games. Then, TNT will have live coverage of 52 games. BBC Sport is also part of the rights deal, but this is only for highlights. BBC Match of the Day will continue to provide analysis of the day’s games.

Going back to Sky Sports’ packages, that includes all games that happen on Fridays and Mondays. Additionally, Sky will have full coverage of three midweek rounds in the Premier League. For the weekend’s games, Sky Sports will have coverage of over 140 contests. Crucially, Sky will have the rights to all 10 games on Championship Sunday. Those games happen simultaneously, which allows the broadcaster to show other games as they happen.

TNT Sports has the rights to all games that happen at 12:30 p.m. in the UK. That equates to 32 games in that timeslot throughout the season. It will have full coverage of two midweek matchdays in the Premier League.

There will be more Premier League games available on UK TV than ever before. While the 3 p.m. blackout will continue on Saturdays, there will be ample games available for audiences.

Sky Sports and TNT Sports back with the Premier League domestic rights

Sky Sports and TNT Sports are with the Premier League under their current deals. This does, however, eliminate Amazon, which was also in the deal. Therefore, Sky is paying a premium to carry the bulk of Premier League games. The deal between Sky and TNT comes out to over $2 billion per year.

Richard Masters is happy to return to Sky Sports and TNT because they deliver what he sees as a good product. Despite the number of games available going up, revenues are largely kept the same for the Premier League.

“As longstanding and valued partners, Sky Sports and TNT Sports are renowned for consistently delivering world-class coverage and programming,” Masters said. “We have enjoyed record audiences and attendances in recent seasons, and we know that their continued innovation will drive more people to watch and follow the Premier League.”

Masters said the size of the deal is a compliment to what they have built in the Premier League over the years.

“The outcome of this process underlines the strength of the Premier League and is testament to our clubs, players, and managers who continue to deliver the world’s most competitive football in full stadiums, and to supporters, who create an unrivaled atmosphere every week.”

Trickle down to other leagues to begin

As part of the deal, the Premier League also commented on the incoming revenues for clubs outside of the top flight. This deal provides financial certainty for clubs across England and Wales through 2029. In the rights window from 2022 to 2025, the Premier League is contributing over $2 billion to lower leagues. That number should rise given the increase in the rights deal for the Premier League through the 2028/29 season.

Although the Premier League’s deal in the UK has no impact on NBC’s exclusive coverage of the league for viewers in the United States, both Sky Sports and NBC Sports are owned by the same parent company — Comcast.

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