Why the Premier League shouldn’t be concerned by France and Italy’s TV deal woes

Why the Premier League shouldn’t be concerned by France and Italy’s TV deal woes

Less than a week after the Ligue de Football Professional (LFP) was compelled to halt its domestic broadcast rights auction in France, Italy’s Serie A secured a new TV deal with Sky and DAZN. However, not everyone was content with the terms. Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis criticized the deal, stating that Italian football “will die” and that the two broadcasters “are not competent.”

This situation created some turmoil in European football from a TV rights perspective. Amid this backdrop, the Premier League has initiated the process of selling its domestic rights over a four-year period beginning in the 2025-26 season and concluding in 2028-29. Despite the tumultuous events on the continent, the Premier League appears unfazed, thanks to the continued growth of its international rights, which were sold for just over £5 billion ($6.05 billion) for the 2022-25 cycle – slightly more than the domestic rights sold to broadcasters like Sky and TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport).

As part of their tender for the next domestic rights cycle, the Premier League has announced an additional 70 matches, bringing the total to 270, which means over two-thirds of the 380 matches in each season will be available for fans to watch. The cycle length is increasing from three years to four years, and the number of packages has decreased from seven to five, each aligned with specific kick-off times. These matches will be scheduled for 12.30pm and 5.30pm UK time on Saturdays, 2pm and 4.30pm on Sundays, and Monday and Friday evenings at 8pm.

Francois Godard, a senior media analyst for Enders Analysis, believes the Premier League is not concerned about the situation in Serie A and Ligue 1. He considers the outcome in Italy encouraging, as there was no active competition between Sky and DAZN, and both are making significant contributions. DAZN will be paying around €700 million per season to broadcast every Serie A fixture until 2029. Regarding Ligue 1, Godard suggests that the decision to pull the auction was due to high minimum prices, but one-on-one negotiations are ongoing, which may result in a more suitable deal for Ligue 1.

LFP president Vincent Labrune had aimed for €1 billion a year in media revenue, but this objective remains unmet. Despite high expectations for Amazon Prime, Canal+, beIN Sports, and potentially Apple to vie for the rights, this scenario did not materialize, leaving the LFP falling further behind its counterparts in England, Italy, Germany, and Spain.

The Premier League, which currently earns more than £3.1 billion annually from its broadcast rights when combining domestic and international TV money, is considered the Super League by other four major leagues. This emphasizes the need for these leagues to take substantial measures to alter the landscape and close the financial gap with the Premier League.

Why the Premier League shouldn’t be concerned by France and Italy’s TV deal woes

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