Premier League agrees record Ksh1.3trillion domestic TV rights deal

Arsenal's German midfielder #29 Kai Havertz celebrates after scoring his team first goal during the English Premier League football match between Brentford and Arsenal at the Gtech Community Stadium in London on November 25, 2023. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
The Premier League has agreed a new record Ksh 1.3 trillion[£6.7bn] domestic television deal for Sky and TNT to show up to 270 live games a season.
The deal includes UK State broadcaster BBC continuing to
show highlights on Match of the Day.
The top flight said the deal, which covers the four years
from the 2025-26 season, is the "largest sports media rights deal ever
concluded in the UK".
The Saturday 3pm blackout will remain in place, but every
2pm Sunday kick-off will be televised.
The BBC's deal includes MOTD2 and Football Focus plus
additional digital rights for its online platforms.
Sky has been awarded four of the five packages and will show
a minimum of 215 matches a season including Saturday 5.30pm kick-offs, Sunday
2pm and 4.30pm kick-offs, plus evening games on Mondays and Fridays and three
midweek rounds.
TNT will show a minimum of 52 matches a season including all
12.30pm kick-offs on Saturdays and two midweek match rounds.
Sky Sports will also broadcast all 10 matches on the final
day of each season.
Amazon, which shows 20 matches per season under the league's
current deal, has not secured rights in the new agreement.
This is the first time the Premier League has been through a
tender process for its rights since 2018.
The current £5bn domestic TV rights deal, which was for
three seasons and expires at the end of 2024-25, was allowed to be extended
because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Premier League says the new agreement, which is a year
longer, is a 4% rise in live rights value compared to the previous deal and
will "provide financial certainty for clubs throughout professional
football until at least 2029".
"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 unrivalled atmosphere every week," said
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters.
Barbara Slater, Director, BBC Sport, said: "Match of
the Day remains enduringly popular with audiences and this new agreement with
the Premier League is brilliant news for football fans all over the UK.
"For almost 60 years it has been the UK's most
discussed football programme, delivering a complete digest of the weekend's
action and this enhanced deal with more digital content means we can tell the
story of the Premier League every day across BBC Sport platforms."
Sky will show up to 100 more matches a season, and chief executive Dana Strong said: "We are proud of our long history with the Premier League and look forward to delivering more engagement, entertainment, and innovation to the end of the decade."
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