Premier League broadcasting rights rolled over

Today the Premier League announced that it had agreed to rollover the existing television broadcasting rights deal in the UK. That means that the BBC retains the extended highlights show rights, and Sky, BT Sport, and Amazon share the live broadcasts.

There had been concern that if the open auction that usually happens went ahead, the sums paid for the rights would dip, and clubs would receive significantly less than they have become accustomed to. In order to allow the rollover, the UK Government issued an Exclusion Order, meaning that the naturally anti-competitive deal would not be subject to Competition and Markets Authority scrutiny.

That decision has been criticised in some quarters, as other sectors of broadcasting face steep declines in revenues. It had been reported that some broadcasters would object because they wanted to increase their share of games – particularly Amazon. In the end, however, the existing broadcasters agreed to the rollover, preserving the status quo and removing the risk of being outbid and actually losing games.

The auction for Premier League broadcasting rights is usually one of the richest in world television, but the next one will now cover rights from 2026 – 2029, and is likely to take place in 2025.

If you have any questions about this or any other IP right, please get in touch with the team at McDaniels Law on 0191 281 4000 or by email at legal@mcdnaielslaw.com.