4 DECEMBER, 2023 - SHANK, BY MATT HOOPER: THE NEW UK BROADCAST RIGHTS HOLDERS FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE FROM 2025 HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED, AND DESPITE THEIR BEST EFFORTS, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO HAVE RELINQUISHED THE 20 GAMES THEY CURRENTLY BROADCAST, WITH SKY SPORTS AND TNT SPORTS BECOMING THE DUAL RIGHTS HOLDERS TO MORE THAN 260 LIVE GAMES FROM THE 2025/26 SEASON. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, EACH GAME PLAYED OUTSIDE THE SATURDAY 3PM KICKOFFS WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE IN THE UK, AND THE NEW DEAL CONFIRMS SKY SPORTS AS THE DOMINANT BROADCASTER OF PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL IN THE UK.
SKY WILL HAVE THE FIRST PICK OF EVERY ROUND THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, MEANING THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE 'BIGGEST' AND MOST IMPORTANT MATCHES WILL BE BROADCAST ON SKY SPORTS PREMIER LEAGUE. SKY WILL BROADCAST ALL 10 MATCHES ON BOXING DAY, AND, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, SHOW ALL 10 MATCHES ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE SEASON, MEANING FANS OF ALL 20 CLUBS CAN WATCH THEIR TEAM'S ARGUABLY MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE SEASON. TNT SPORTS HAS RETAINED THE 52 MATCHES THEY CURRENTLY BROADCAST.
FULL DETAILS OF THE NEW DEAL, BEGINNING AUGUST 2025:
PACKAGE A
Total matches: 52 (18 second picks; 14 fourth picks; all 20 matches as part of 4th and 5th midweek rounds)
Matches per club: maximum six; minimum one
Primary kick-off time: 32 matches at Saturday 12.30
Matches per club: maximum six; minimum one
Primary kick-off time: 32 matches at Saturday 12.30
Package B
Total matches: 50* (14 first picks; 18 fifth picks; approximately 6-10 rescheduled matches but not at Sunday 14.00)
Matches per club: maximum six; minimum one
Primary kick-off time: 32 matches at Saturday 17.30
Matches per club: maximum six; minimum one
Primary kick-off time: 32 matches at Saturday 17.30
Package C
Total matches: 66* (14 second picks; 18 fourth picks; 30-38 rescheduled matches at Sunday 14.00)
Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
Primary kick-off time: 32 matches at Sunday 14.00
Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
Primary kick-off time: 32 matches at Sunday 14.00
Package D
Total matches: 44* (18 first picks; 13 third picks; up to two Round 37; all 10 Final Round)
Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
Kick-off times: 32 matches at Sunday 16.30
Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
Kick-off times: 32 matches at Sunday 16.30
Package E
Total matches: 58 (18 third picks; 14 fifth picks; all 20 matches as part of 1st and 2nd midweek rounds; six additional matches)
Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
Kick-off times: 32 matches on Monday/Friday evenings
Matches per club: maximum five; minimum one
Kick-off times: 32 matches on Monday/Friday evenings
SKY'S 215 LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES IS A REMARKABLE INCREASE OF 155 ON THEIR FIRST PREMIER LEAGUE BROADCAST DEAL IN 1992, WHICH SAW THEM SHOW 60 LIVE MATCHES PER SEASON. THEY HAVE RECENTLY SIGNED NEW DEALS WITH THE ENGLISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE, WOMEN'S SUPER LEAGUE, AND SCOTTISH PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, MAKING THEM THE UNDISPUTED HOME OF BRITISH CLUB FOOTBALL. IN ADDITION THEY ARE ALSO THE UK BROADCASTER OF THE BUNDESLIGA.
TNT'S 52 LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES COMPLIMENTS THEIR EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE AND UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE. TNT ARE ALSO THE UK BROADCASTER OF SERIE A, LIGUE 1 AND AUSTRALIA'S A-LEAGUE.
AS WE BEGIN THE FIRST MATCH WEEK OF THE SEASON WHICH AMAZON PRIME VIDEO WILL BROADCAST THIS SEASON IT MUST BE A DISAPPOINTMENT TO THOSE WHO HEAD UP AMAZON PRIME VIDEO SPORT TO SEE THEM LOSE OUT TO SKY ON THOSE EXTRA MATCHES FROM 2025. IT WAS RUMOURED AMAZON WERE TARGETING THE ADDITIONAL SUNDAY GAMES, BUT IT WAS CLEARLY TOO ATTRACTIVE TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE TO HAVE ALL MATCHES IN ONE PLACE ON A SUNDAY, RATHER THAN SEEING THE GAMES SPLIT BETWEEN PLATFORMS. LOSING LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL IS THE SECOND BIG BLOW TO AMAZON IN A FEW MONTHS, FOLLOWING THEM LOSING THE RIGHTS TO THE ATP AND WTA TOURS IN TENNIS, ALSO TO SKY SPORTS.
SURELY THIS IS THE LAST DEAL WHICH STOPS UK FANS FROM WATCHING GAMES
WHEN THE NEXT RIGHTS COME UP FOR GRABS FROM 2029 BRITISH FANS OF PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS WILL SURELY BE ABLE TO WATCH EVERY GAME THEIR TEAM PLAYS IN LIVE, AS FANS AROUND THE WORLD CAN. IT IS QUITE FRANKLY RIDICULOUS THAT IN 2023 FANS OF PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS CANNOT WATCH EVERY GAME THEIR TEAM PLAYS LIVE ON TV, JUST AS FANS OF THE EFL, SPFL AND ALMOST EVERY OTHER LEAGUE WORLDWIDE CAN. THE OLD ARGUMENTS ABOUT HARMING ATTENDANCES AT EFL GAMES ARE SIMPLY WRONG, AND PUTS THE PREMIER LEAGUE AT A COMPETITIVE AND COMMERCIAL DISADVANTAGE AGAINST OTHER SPORTS LEAGUES AROUND THE WORLD.
IMAGINE ONLY BEING ABLE TO WATCH A FEW RACES FROM THE FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, OR ONLY A FEW TOURNAMENTS FROM THE PGA TOUR SEASON, ITS NONSENSE AND THE NEXT TV DEAL MUST CHANGE THAT. THERE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 110 PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES NOT BROADCAST LIVE IN THE UK THROUGH THE DURATION OF THE NEW DEAL, AND THOSE GAMES, KICKING OFF AT 3PM ON SATURDAYS, SHOULD BE BROADCAST AS PAY-PER-VIEW GAMES VIA A PREMIER LEAGUE DTC OTT APP SIMILAR TO NFL GAMEPASS.
