EPL repackaging rights for next auction
October 4, 2023
The English Premier League (EPL) is to repackage its UK TV rights with plans to extend the duration of the deal to four years and remove the smaller bunldes of games (such as Amazon’s current deal) in favour of fewer, bigger packages.
The UK government allowed the league and its broadcasters to roll over their prior deals during the pandemic, meaning the price of rights has not been set since the £5 billion (€5.78bn) deal for rights spanning 2019-22.
Premier League officials are finalising the terms of the auction process, reports FT, but the length of the deal is likely to be extended to four years, breaking the established three year cycle.
The move is in response to feedback from broadcasters that the current terms made ownership of the games riskier, with the frequency of auctions leaving less time to invest in the production and broadcast requirements
The number of games auctioned is expecetd to increas significantly from the 200 at present, with games spread from Friday to Monday, and including earlier slots on Saturdays. Officials are also working on an auction structure with fewer than the current total of seven packages. The number of packages to could reportedly fall to as low as five.
The auction is set to start in the next few weeks, with bids expected from the likes of Sky, DAZN, Amazon and TNT Sports.