English Premier League Broadcasting Rights

[SantiSuk]

The UK broadcasting rights to the EPL (a three year contract) have just been settled. The total sale raised GBP 3 billion, an increase of 50% over the last auction. Sky took rights to show 116 matches for 2.3 billion and BT (the UK national telecom operator) paid 0.7 billion for 38 games.

Surprising that such an increase has been obtianed in a period bordering on global recession. Surprising that BT has emerged as a TV content buyer - I don't know how that works. Maybe they will just be a reseller.

Great news for all fat-cat football officials involved. Great news for the EPL as a global brand in its desire to be the dominant worldwide league. Good news for clubs - more revenue for playing the games. Some of that is good news for fans, but the bad news is:

We will have to pay more to watch games

It probably inspires Club Chairmen to up the gate prices for the real English soccer fans who pay-per-watch in all weathers

Most of it will ultimately get pi$$ed down the toilet in overpriced nightclubs, fast car dealerships and speciality home builders

I don't know how this all connects with the prices taht broadcasters in Asia are required to pay, but you can bet it means significant price increases for us. If say 50% of True's content cost relates to showing the EPL, one might conjecture a 25% increase in package costs. The Thailand rights are of course up for renegotiation this time next year and there is no automatic feed through from this deal to a Thailand deal (I would guess).

I haven't posted a news clipping link in case I breach TV rules. Google EPL broadcasting rights and you'll find press reports

[bangkok blue]

Bidding process for EPL rights in Thailand will start soon. Gonna be interesting who'll get them after Euro fiasco!

[Abrak]

There is no real correlation between the cost of domestic EPL rights and international rights. And international rights dont have any fixed price but are bid based on the amount of competition there is in the individual country for them. To give you an example Singtel bid a pretty staggering 200m quid for the EPL rights to Singapore in order to take them from Starhub in the last round and that is a country with 5m people.

In Thailand we have the 'free-to-air' operators who cannot compete because they dont have enough channels. True had a monopoly on pay TV so their bid was quite low. What we really do not need is a new entrant entering the bidding process and bidding up the cost. Either they will win or True will simply have to pay a lot and in turn pass that onto to subscribers.