Sky Sports, BT Sport Retain Premier League TV Rights

The U.K. broadcast rights for Premier League games from 2019 to 2022 have been sold for £4.46 billion ($6.2 billion), with BT Sport and Sky Sports splitting five of seven live packages and two are still yet to be awarded.

Sky landed four packs of rights totaling 128 games a season, up from 126 matches currently. The deal will offer Sky Sports viewers every first-pick weekend match, plus Saturday evening fixtures for the first time, all screened on Sky’s dedicated Premier League channel.

BT will continue to show Premier League matches on BT Sport for a further three years from the 2019-20 season. BT Sport will continue to show games at 5.30 p.m. on Saturdays next season and then move to Saturday lunchtime fixtures from August 2019.

“We are extremely pleased that BT and Sky continue to view the Premier League and our clubs as such an important part of their offering,” said Premier League Executive Chairman Richard Scudamore.

“Both broadcasters are fantastic partners for the Premier League and have a track record of making our competition available to fans across the country through their high-quality and innovative programming.

“To have achieved this investment with two packages of live rights remaining to sell is an outcome that is testament to the excellent football competition delivered by the clubs.

“It provides them with certainty and will underpin their continued efforts to put on the most compelling football, invest sustainably in all areas, and use their popularity and reach to have a positive impact on the sport and beyond.

“We will now continue the sales process to deliver the best possible outcome for the remaining packages of rights in the U.K. and throughout the rest of the world.”

Stephen van Rooyen, Sky’s U.K. chief executive, said: “We continue to invest in content that our customers value and which complements our strategy to broaden our offer. Not only do we remain the home of Premier League football but also the home of top quality drama, entertainment, comedy and other sports. Our disciplined approach means we continue to have the flexibility to invest in each of these areas as we choose, underlining our position as Europe’s largest investor in content.”

Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, added: “Sky Sports customers will continue to enjoy unrivalled Premier League coverage through to 2022 with 128 live matches a season from next year—more than ever before—including the key head to heads in the best slots and, of course, analysis from the biggest names in football.

“This comes on the back of recent renewals for EFL, ECB and exclusivity for F1, all of which will be available to our customers until 2024.”

Marc Allera, chief executive of BT’s consumer division, said: “The Premier League is undoubtedly the most competitive and exciting domestic league in the world, so we’re delighted that our customers will be able to continue enjoying Saturday games on BT Sport.

“BT Sport is enjoyed by over five million households and pubs and clubs across the U.K. We are excited about the opportunity to bring this great content to even more TV and mobile customers as we pursue our strategy of being the best provider of converged network services in the U.K.”