English Premier League TV rights sold for a record $8.45B for the next 4-year cycle

EPL sold its domestic TV rights to SKY Sports for a record $8.45B for the next four-year cycle and it is said to be the largest sports media rights deal ever concluded in Britain.

As per this deal, Sky Sports will broadcast a minimum of 215 matches per season, or up to 100 more than it does now, while TNT Sports, formerly known as BT Sport, will receive 52 games. As per reports, Amazon Prime did not bid for any matches in the upcoming cycle. Amazon Prime currently airs 20 matches per season through 2024–2025.

Did IPL open the floodgates for the sporting world?

Only recently the Indian Premier League (IPL) had become the second-richest league in the world after Star Sports and Viacom 18 bagged the media rights in 2023 for five years. Through the deal, BCCI fetched Rs 48,390 crore ($6.20 billion) for five years and it was seen as the beginning of a digital war in terms of bagging media rights for various sports leagues. But now Sky Sports' bid for EPL's TV rights has taken the media rights value even higher.