Sky Scores Additional Premier League Games

LONDON: BSkyB has been awarded a fifth package of Premier League games, shelling out a total of £1.6 billion for the matches for the next three seasons, with the final package being awarded to Setanta.

After being awarded four packages earlier this week, Sky will now have 115 exclusively live Premier League matches in each of the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. The total amount spent on the five packages is £1.623 million. 

"This is great news for football and for fans," said Vic Wakeling, the managing director of Sky Sports. "We can offer the big games and a balance of coverage with all 20 clubs live each season—and all in HD. And with new deals for UEFA Champions League and the Football League, plus a range of other games, we can promise over 400 live matches for the next four seasons."

Setanta, which previously had the rights to two packages, retains the rights to just one, with 23 out of the available 138 matches per season.

The Setanta and Sky deals bring the total intake for the Premier League to £1.782 billion. Announcing the results of the rights auction, Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the Premier League, noted: "The continued investment in playing talent and facilities made by the clubs is largely down to the revenue generated through the sale of our broadcast rights. The live U.K. rights are the largest contribution to the revenues we distribute centrally to the clubs and this deal gives them the stability to plan and invest in the most important aspect of our business—the football; everything else flows from that."