The Fight to Broadcast Football
Is Sky’s Premier League Monopoly coming to an end?
If you follow Premier League football, whether a specific team or simply the division as a whole, you will be aware that the biggest broadcaster in the UK is Sky Sports, who typically show 128 matches on TV each season. TNT Sports, the newest iteration of BT Sports, shows around 50 matches by comparison, as well as European club football. For a while now, these two broadcasters have been the two figureheads of broadcast football in the UK, except for special fixtures, which are typically show on free-to-air channels.
However, this is soon to change. With the globalisation of English football to the United States, more and more companies are trying to cash in on this lucrative opportunity. With the 7 potential packages going up for auction sometime this year, and potentially 60 more games being added to this list, my article will explore what other companies are interested, and how this could have detrimental effects to the average consumer of the sport.
Amazon
Amazon are the first international pioneer on this front. Of the 7 packages currently active, Sky owns 4 and TNT owns 2. However, Amaon actually possess the final set of fixture rights, acquiring them all the way back in 2018. In recent years, this has been during the festive period, with the company opting to show all 10 matches during two weeks in December, particularly the Boxing Day matches. This differs from Sky and TNT, who instead show games regularly throughout the season.
All this may be a test to see how well these fixtures would perform, and how many people would open their Amazon Prime app to view. Many people actually see Amazon as a good option, due to the fact that they have shown they have the capabilities to host games, selecting the best commentary teams and pundits, as well as having match stats available at the touch of your fingertips.
Personally, I agree with this sentiment. Amazon, for how rich an enterprise it is, actually are rather customer-centric. For their £10 a month subscription, you have access to Amazon Video, Amazon Prime deliveries, Amazon Music and now these fixtures. With their recent rights acquisition for some Champions League fixtures, out of all the contenders, this would arguably be the best for the fans.
Apple
US based global juggernaut Apple have also been eyeing up a potential deal with Premier League rights. After their MLS rights acquisition last year, there is a high chance they will also come for European football, and none is as highly sought after as the Premiership. Apple TV are currently rising as a popular streaming destination, and it is likely with their deep pockets, similar to Amazon, they will look to throw their hat into the ring and bid to show English soccer on their service.
I do believe this would be rather detrimental. Whilst many English consumers may have Sky/BT for broadband or other services, and Amazon Prime for their parcels, not many people will have an Apple TV account. It could be said that the Premier League may be hesitant to add yet another subscription service to their gauntlet of broadcasters. However, it may come down to a bidding war between Apple and the Jeff-Bezos owned company to see who can gain access to this priviledge.
DAZN
DAZN, known predominantly for its showing of Boxing and UFC fights, is another looking at potentially dabbling into rights to the Premier League. Having grown its brand through large moves in the rights market, it would most likely be another subscription-based viewership method. DAZN already has the rights to the NFL Gamepass in the UK, and owns rights to some of Europe’s biggest soccer leagues in that territory, so it seems more than possible that they would also look to grow their brand in the UK and bid to show some fixtures.
Again, this would likely be a loss to the average consumer, as it would be yet another streaming service you would need to subscribe to. However, if they could work a package out which means a subscriber could get access to all the sports the broadcaster has to offer, it could be rather cost beneficial.
Other Potential Suitors?
Whilst these companies have been listed as some of the most likely streaming services to bid for the rights to host this competition, there would be plenty of other services who I can imagine would be itching to jump in and try and gain access to games themselves. For example, Paramount’s streaming service currently are the selected broadcaster for all Champions League games in the U.S, and have even took some of the most popular pundits for these shows, including Micah Richards and Thierry Henry. Obviously, they would need new presenters should they try to rival Sky and TNT Sports, but with Paramount now accessible and gaining traction across the pond, would they like to continue this sporting side quest?
My other pick for a suitable contender would be Disney+. Arguably the biggest streaming service, potentially only being eclipsed by Netflix due to the longevity of the ‘original streaming service’, this would be seen as a major coup for the “House of Mouse”. With Disney owning a major stake in ESPN and Fox, it would not be a far stretch to imagine they would look into diversifying their portfolio and pushing for a piece of the Premier League pie, particularly after their recent showing of the NFL game in London, in “Toy Story Mode”.
