Sky darkens for broadcasters after Amazon online assault
LONDON: Amazon’s acquisition of live Premier League matches may signal the start of an online assault that could upend the dominance of established broadcasters Sky and BT Sport, according to analysts.
The global online retail group acquired two rounds of live Premier League matches for three years from the 2019/2020 season, the league announced.
They will exclusively livestream all 10 matches over a bank holiday period and another 10 during a midweek fixture programme in December, according to reports.
It’s a first for the online sector in the lucrative rights market, but certainly not the last, according to some experts.
“Amazon wanted to lay down a marker for the future and wanted to be the first mover,” said an expert close to the deal who asked not to be named.
“I am not shocked by the awarding of the rights to Amazon but it is an underwhelming feeling as it is the first time this package was on the market.”
Sky and BT will still show the vast majority of live matches, with 128 and 52 respectively – with BT having been awarded the other package up for grabs on Thursday of 20 games at a reported cost of £90 million.
More online operators are expected to follow suit and enter the bidding war for Premier League rights for the next bidding cycle after Amazon tests the waters.
Amazon – who have in recent times acquired the rights to show the US Open tennis grand slam and ATP World Tennis tournaments – will livestream the games to their Amazon Prime UK subscribers, which is the online seller’s premium service available for a fee. Memberships costs £79 (90 euros or $106) a year or £7.99 a month.
This will be of interest to companies such as Google and Apple who may be drawn to tabling bids next time round, said Kieran Maguire, senior lecturer in Accountancy at Liverpool University. — AFP