English soccer’s Premier League (EPL) has extended its long-standing media rights tie up in Germany with pay-TV giant Sky Deutschland.
The broadcaster's Sky Sport channel will exclusively broadcast all 380 Premier League games per season in full, 250 of which will be shown live.
The new deal will see Sky Deutschland continue to broadcast the EPL until the end of the 2027-28 season, having done so since the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign.
Sky regained the rights to the league in 2019 from streaming service DAZN, which had shown the English top-flight between 2016 and 2019. Sky had previously held the rights for several years before DAZN intervened.
Barny Mills, chief executive of Sky Deutschland, said of the renewed deal: “The Premier League is undoubtedly one of the top rights in international sport. With this exclusive extension, we have secured an important right that clearly underlines our leading position in sport.”
The move expands Sky’s market share of soccer broadcasting in Germany, with the TV giant also holding rights to air Germany’s domestic Bundesliga, as well as its second tier 2. Bundesliga, and the DFB Pokal knockout cup competition.
Mills added: “In combination with the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup, and [motor racing’s] Formula 1 as well as the recently acquired rights to [motorcycling’s] MotoGP, [tennis’] ATP Tour, and the WTA, our customers can also look forward to an extensive, highly attractive sports program.”
Sky’s current EPL contract runs through the end of the 2024-25 season, and in December it agreed a deal with fellow German broadcaster RTL to share some of its soccer and motor racing rights.
The two-year strategic partnership will see one game a week from the EPL shown on RTL, as well as seven races per season from Formula 1 through 2025.
Meanwhile, EPL clubs today voted to amend the league's associated party rules on transfers and sponsorships to introduce stricter measures.
At a meeting in London, the vote was narrowly passed with 12 clubs voting for changes and six voting against, with two abstentions.
In a statement, the league said: “Following a full review of the existing Associated Party Transactions (APT) Rules and Fair Market Value assessment protocols, clubs agreed to a series of amendments to further enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the system.”
One EPL outfit, understood to be Manchester City, has warned the league it could face a legal challenge over potential reforms to the rules.
The reigning league champions reportedly claim that the move will breach competition law.
The EPL are understood to have informed clubs that City have indicated they may seek a private arbitration hearing to prevent the new rules being introduced.
APT rules are designed to maintain the competitiveness of the league by preventing clubs from signing commercial deals with related companies at inflated prices.
Man City could now be set for another legal battle with the EPL as they are already being investigated for over 100 alleged financial rule breaches over the space of nine seasons, as well as over a subsequent failure to comply with investigators over the last four years.
Following a four-year investigation, the league published a list of alleged rule breaches - including a failure to provide accurate information relating to sponsorship revenue – last February which between them relate to every season between 2009-10 and 2017-18.
The move by the league to send City’s alleged rule-breaking to a commission is unprecedented, and potential sanctions include points deductions, financial penalties, and even the unlikely option of full expulsion. The investigation first began in December 2018 and was first confirmed in March 2019.
