BT and Amazon Go Head to Head Over Premier League Football Rights

Amazon will broadcast 20 Premier League football matches per season from 2019, following the latest EPL package auction. The matches will be made available exclusively to Amazon prime subscribers.

“Prime Video will be an excellent service on which fans can consume live Premier League football – including for the first time in the UK a full round of matches,” said Richard Scudamore, executive chairman of the English Premier League.

BT also won a 20 match per season package, paying a total of £90 million over the three seasons.

The auction result pits BT against an online content provider for the first time in the sports broadcasting arena, and will be a challenge to its rapidly expanding BT Sport brand. Indeed, Amazon’s introduction to the arena could mark a step change in sports broadcasting in the UK.

“With Amazon’s arrival, this could well be the last time that both BT and Sky own the live Premier League rights in the UK, with Richard Scudamore keen to attract more online players to the table,” said Paolo Pescatore, VP for multiplay and media at CCS insight.

The cost of Premier League rights has spiralled in recent years, with BT Sport paying £295 million on a 32 game per season package earlier this year. The prices for this auction appear to have come down a little, but still represent a huge financial investment for broadcasters.

The deal represents a significant opportunity for Amazon to expand its Amazon Prime offering in the UK.

“We are always looking to add more value to Prime, and we’re delighted to now offer, for the first time, live Premier League matches to Prime members at no extra cost to their membership,” Jay Marine, vice president of Prime Video in Europe, told reporters in a statement. – Total Telecom