Premier League to net £4.2bn from overseas broadcasting deals

The Premier League’s windfall from international broadcast deals will rise 30 per cent in the next three seasons, increasing the spending power of England’s top football clubs by £1bn.

The top division in English football will net £4.2bn from the sale of international rights for the next three seasons to 2022, compared with £3.2bn for the three preceding years. The announcement was made by the Richard Masters, the interim chief executive of the Premier League, speaking at the FT Business of Football summit on Tuesday.

The boost from international broadcast revenues “allows the clubs to invest in their squads, and ensures another three years of competitive football,” Mr Masters said.

The increase will come as a relief to the 20 clubs that make up the Premier League, as the value of domestic rights deals are falling.

In February, Sky and BT secured the majority of the domestic screening rights for games held between 2019 and 2022, paying a combined £4.46bn — significantly less than the £5.4bn achieved in the previous auction.

However, people close to the deals said that after Amazon and other media groups also acquired television and radio rights for the Premier League, the final figure for domestic rights came to £5bn.

Premier League clubs have taken all four finalist spots in European competitions this season, with Tottenham Hotspur facing Liverpool FC in the Champions League final and Arsenal playing Chelsea in the Europa League final.

“The key thing about the Premier League is that you don’t know what’s going to happen. [There is] unscripted drama and a title race that goes to the wire: that’s what drives value,” said Mr Masters.