Netflix in a Fugue for Football Rights?
The world's most-watched streaming service is not giving up on its pursuit of Premier League rights despite years of polite rebuffs from both the Premier League and UEFA. With its recent acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, worth over $100 billion, Netflix stands to inherit some of WBD's sporting assets - including the UK-based TNT Sports operation that currently holds domestic rights for the Premier League until 2029.
However, the implications of this deal are far from clear-cut. While Netflix has expressed interest in adding certain sports properties to its entertainment portfolio, it would need to continue bidding on a market-by-market basis if it were to inherit TNT Sport's UK rights as part of WBD's takeover. This is an intriguing outcome, one that could prove to be a masterstroke for the Premier League.
Historically, Netflix has targeted global rights deals for high-profile events such as boxing matches and tennis tournaments. But with its recent deal securing US rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups, the streaming giant appears willing to veer away from this preferred model. Given UEFA's failed bid for a global Champions League streaming package, it seems unlikely that the Premier League will sell its rights on a global basis in its post-2029 cycle.
The Premier League is well-positioned to capitalize on any uncertainty surrounding Netflix's plans for sports. As it navigates its current domestic rights deal with Sky Sports and TNT Sports, the league is also planning for the next auction. Discussions over withdrawing from Article 48 of UEFA's statutes governing the 3pm Saturday blackout are set to take place in the first quarter of this year.
With Sky's budgets under pressure due to Comcast's proposed purchase of ITV, more games on sale are likely to require additional broadcast partners. The Premier League is building its own international production headquarters and has raised speculation about selling some games direct to consumers, cutting out the broadcasting middlemen. However, unlike in France, this would be a huge gamble that is not required.
In this topsy-turvy world of football rights, Netflix stands as a welcome addition to the Premier League's broadcast stable - an outcome that could prove beneficial for both parties involved. As one insider noted, "No one has any idea, frankly... There is so much uncertainty surrounding the takeover."
The world's most-watched streaming service is not giving up on its pursuit of Premier League rights despite years of polite rebuffs from both the Premier League and UEFA. With its recent acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, worth over $100 billion, Netflix stands to inherit some of WBD's sporting assets - including the UK-based TNT Sports operation that currently holds domestic rights for the Premier League until 2029.
However, the implications of this deal are far from clear-cut. While Netflix has expressed interest in adding certain sports properties to its entertainment portfolio, it would need to continue bidding on a market-by-market basis if it were to inherit TNT Sport's UK rights as part of WBD's takeover. This is an intriguing outcome, one that could prove to be a masterstroke for the Premier League.
Historically, Netflix has targeted global rights deals for high-profile events such as boxing matches and tennis tournaments. But with its recent deal securing US rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups, the streaming giant appears willing to veer away from this preferred model. Given UEFA's failed bid for a global Champions League streaming package, it seems unlikely that the Premier League will sell its rights on a global basis in its post-2029 cycle.
The Premier League is well-positioned to capitalize on any uncertainty surrounding Netflix's plans for sports. As it navigates its current domestic rights deal with Sky Sports and TNT Sports, the league is also planning for the next auction. Discussions over withdrawing from Article 48 of UEFA's statutes governing the 3pm Saturday blackout are set to take place in the first quarter of this year.
With Sky's budgets under pressure due to Comcast's proposed purchase of ITV, more games on sale are likely to require additional broadcast partners. The Premier League is building its own international production headquarters and has raised speculation about selling some games direct to consumers, cutting out the broadcasting middlemen. However, unlike in France, this would be a huge gamble that is not required.
In this topsy-turvy world of football rights, Netflix stands as a welcome addition to the Premier League's broadcast stable - an outcome that could prove beneficial for both parties involved. As one insider noted, "No one has any idea, frankly... There is so much uncertainty surrounding the takeover."
and i gotta say, premier league rights are getting interesting. seems like they're willing to get their hands dirty in football, which could be good or bad for the league. they've been sniffing around for global deals but now they're open to market-by-market bidding... that's a new one 
. sky sports is already feeling the pressure from comcast buying itv, so maybe more games will go on sale and we'll see some new broadcast partners pop up 
think netflix is gonna try to go for a more regional approach rather than just going global, but idk if that's even possible 
plus with sky's budgets being squeezed it's only natural that they'd want more games on sale... maybe the premier league can use this uncertainty to its advantage and sell some rights to consumers directly? would be wild to see that happen though 
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. And let's not forget Sky Sports is under pressure due to Comcast's ITV purchase - more games on sale are coming 
! It'd be sick to have Premier League games streaming online, you know? The thought of cutting out those broadcasting middlemen and selling straight to consumers is wild though - it's like they're trying something new. I hope the Premier League takes this opportunity to shake things up, who knows what could happen next? 
And with this deal, they'll have access to TNT Sports' UK rights too 
That means more Premier League games for us! 
But I'm not sure about the global rights thing... 
The Premier League's gonna try to squeeze as much cash outta this deal as possible 
Maybe we'll see some new broadcast partners popping up? 
but seriously tho if nets gets the uk rights its gonna be a big deal and i think its awesome that the premier league is trying to cut out the middlemen and sell games directly to consumers lol can u imagine watching premier league matches on netflix without having to watch ads? 
. On the other hand, I think the Premier League is in a good spot right now - they're exploring new ways to sell games and potentially even cutting out broadcasters all together 
and could also give premier league more bargaining power if they don't sell global rights to nbc or peacemaker. this deal is like a wild card that could change the game 
. I'm actually kind of rooting for the Premier League here, though. They need to shake things up and maybe not get too cozy with Sky Sports 
But hey, who can blame them? The Premier League is a huge deal, and Netflix wants in on the action! 
I think it's cool that they're willing to take some calculated risks to make it happen.