BT and Sky in £84.3m 'near live' rights deal
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.British Telecom entered the Premiership TV market yesterday when it bought the "near live" rights to 242 games per season from 2007 to 2010 in a joint deal with Sky. The agreement will net the Premiership £84.3m, just weeks after its record £1.7bn sale of live rights to Sky and Setanta for the same period.
Under the "near live" deal, fans will be able to watch games on broadband for the first time via a new BT broadband television service, BT Vision, which is being launched this autumn. It is BT's first foray into television, albeit as a platform, not a broadcaster.
Premiership games from 2007 will be available, shortly after they have finished, via television or computer to BT broadband customers, with a match-by-match or seasonal fee. The cost has yet to be decided.
Sky will show 92 live matches a season between 2007-10, with Setanta screening the other 46. Sky will also show the 242 "near live" games as they do now, with footage of one Saturday afternoon game at 8.30pm and the rest at 10pm.
"The ability to watch matches in long form soon after they have been played clearly appeals to fans," the Premier League's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, said. "With both BT and BSkyB securing the rights, access and choice will increase as both companies use their technological expertise to deliver Premier League action to their customers."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments