9th Jun 2016 12:32
LONDON (Alliance News) - Sky PLC Thursday said it will retain 93% of the broadcasting rights for the Bundesliga football league through to 2021 at an average cost per year of EUR876 million, around 80% higher than it paid under its existing contract.
Sky said that, under its new agreement with the German Professional Football Association, it will pay 32% more in the 2017/18 season, the first year of the new contract, than in the final year of its existing contract.
Over the four years of the new agreement the average costs per year will be EUR876 million, compared to an average of EUR486 million per year under its contract which concludes at the end of the 2016/17 season.
This means that it will show 572 live matches a season from 2017/18 to 2020/21, including full live coverage of Bundesliga matches on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
In the previous auction Sky won all of the broadcasting right packages, however, for this auction a no single buyer rule was implemented preventing it from winning all of the packages again.
"We are delighted to win the Bundesliga contract. This means Sky Deutschland is the undisputed home of football through to 2021 in one of Europe's most passionate sports markets. This is an important step to building our business in Germany and maximising the significant opportunity for growth. Our continued leadership in sport will underpin the execution of our wider strategy for building out pay-TV: providing a broad range of the very best content, market-leading innovation and best in class service from a trusted brand," said Chief Executive Jeremy Darroch in a statement
Shares in Sky were up 1.7% at 944.00 pence Thursday afternoon.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; [email protected]; @HanaSSAllNews
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